How Masters Degree Holder Got Employed On N35,000 Monthly Salary As Drainage Cleaner

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

A Ministry of the Lagos State Government has reportedly engaged a graduate and Masters Degree holder from the Lagos State University, LASU, Mr. Toyemej Joseph Juwonlo and offered to pay him N35,000 every month as salary to clean drainages in Ikotun area of Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS confirmed that the father of three children, who hails from Badagry area of Lagos, started work last month and had to trek from his house at Meiran area to Ikotun every morning to do the job. 
The Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, which engaged him as Drainages Supervisor – meaning to clean gutters at the Ikotun axis, did so without any appointment letter and Juwonlo is not sure of the condition of the work he was employed to do.

The 49-year old Juwonlo said he studied Banking and Finance as first degree before he went for his Masters in Business Financing and had worked many places before he started his own business as freight forwarder.

However, due to the economic situation in the county,  his business collapsed in 2014 and since then, he was out of job and could not feed his family.

The embattled Juwonlo said that for the past seven years, he had written several applications, looked for both Government and private jobs to no avail before he was informed about cleaning drainages work under the Ministry and he decided to take the job instead of continuing to stay idle.

He said he does not even know the condition of the job he was engaged to do and said that the person who contacted him told him they will pay N35,000 every month and he started work.

He said he was not regretting acquiring education but never wished that he will acquire a Masters Degree and will be going on the streets cleaning drainages every day.

He said he was looking forward for his first salary after several years of joblessness because he never received money for several years because he had been out of job.

He said he does not know his fate in the job and does not know if it is a contract job or not but was told that it was from the Ministry.

The condition of Juwonlo has attracted many reactions from members of the public in Ikotun area where he works, stressing that the Government was not ready to assist its citizens.

The residents appealed to the Lagos State Government to look into Juwonlo condition and others in similar situations and rehabilitate them back into the society otherwise, for him working on the street with such credentials means the Government do not care for the welfare of the people in Lagos State.

P.M.EXPRESS findings revealed that if Juwonlo is actually being paid N35,000 every month as salary, the money will not take care of his own transport and feeding including his wife and three children.