From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
Jobberman Nigeria, in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, has held a career clinic in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, to empower young career professionals and business owners, as well as aspiring talented young people in the state.
The Career Clinic, which was held on Saturday, September 13, 2025, with the theme “Your Career Compass: Gain Clarity in Work and Business”, provided entrepreneurs with the clarity and tools needed to grow or pivot in their career and business journeys.
Addressing participants at the event, the keynote speaker, Mr Gideon Ikyernum, urged the youths to imbibe the spirit of determination in their chosen career if they want to excel.
He said they must not allow other people to choose or determine their career but must identify their passion and follow it.
Ikyernum, who is the Founder and Managing Director, Gandaria Ventures Limited, also urged them to leverage available opportunities, adding, “Talented entrepreneurs or youths must not wait for their conditions to be better before starting a career. No matter how you feel disadvantaged or incapacitated, start something and you would get results thereafter.”
The business mogul who noted that there is no magic money anywhere stated rather that, “There is usually an opportunity for breakthrough in whatever you are determined to do once you are doing it well.” He therefore urged the participants to take advantage of the training and remain resolute by their decisions in order to excel in their businesses.
Also speaking at the event, Head of Marketing, Jobberman Nigeria, Babajide Anjorin, said the essence of the event is to ensure that talents in Benue State are exposed to the required skills and competence they need to scale interviews, prepare their CVs and ensure they have all the knowledge and strategies to answer interview questions whenever they go.
He said the career clinic also has a session that speaks to the entrepreneurs, as Jobberman has provided counsellors to educate the talents on how to move their businesses forward to ensure that they get dignified and fulfilling jobs.
Anjorin said Jobberman is expecting to see, at the end of the career clinic in Benue State, that the talents make use of the skills and knowledge acquired during the training, adding that there are counsellors that would do follow-up to ensure that the impact of the training is felt in the lives of these talents.
He said Jobberman Nigeria, which is a leading career development and recruitment solutions company, came to Benue with professionals to speak to young individuals who have chosen to start a business entrepreneurship journey so they can learn the skills and tips to manage their business, finances and also have clarity on how to manage their staff, customers, among others.
He stated that the organisation in partnership with Mastercard Foundation and the Benue State government, have successfully trained young talents from among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), People with Disabilities (PWDs) as well as young women who form 80 per cent of the trainees.
He urged the youth to seek out opportunities and mentorship, and to prepare themselves for job opportunities in and outside of the country.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Theresa Ikwue, appreciated Jobberman for bringing the programme to the state, saying that was the kind of opportunity the Benue people were yearning for to enhance their knowledge, businesses and become self-reliant.
Ikwue, who was represented by the Director of Women Affairs in the Ministry, Mrs Magdalene Andor, noted that bringing such a programme to the doorstep of Benue people would reduce the challenges women and youths are facing as the ideas they would acquire would help them scale up their activities.
She assured that Benue State government through the Ministry of Women Affairs, is ready to partner with Jobberman to eliminate the challenges facing women such as Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and other economic challenges.
While noting that Jobberman has been in partnership with the ministry, Ikwue appreciated that the organisation has been mobilising and training women for capacity-building programmes.
Some of the participants who spoke with our correspondent, including Abigail Oche, a fresh graduate from the Rev Fr Moses Orshio Adasu University Makurdi (MOAUM), and Tor Raphael, a small business owner, appreciated Jobberman Nigeria for the opportunity, saying the packages, especially the one-on-one counselling, have erased their fears.
“That idea I have in my head, I’m going to explore it. I have learnt how to leverage people, opportunities, how to network and render volunteer services because it builds confidence, dignity and skills,” Oche said, appealing to Jobberman to expand their training service to schools, communities and other social institutions to embrace career opportunities available in the state.
The event also featured an expert panel session and breakout discussions designed to provide participants with actionable strategies for personal and professional growth in their careers and businesses as well as clarity on navigating today’s evolving career and business landscapes.
The panellists, including Mr Jonathan Isah, Lead Strategist, iRead Africa Consulting; Arc Nguvan Kyenge, Founder, The Mindset Series International; Dr Victoria Daaor, Founder, Elohim Development Foundation; and Hon Anne Kadev, Special Adviser to the Governor on Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, shared practical strategies on personal development, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
The Benue Career Clinic is one of Jobberman’s initiatives to equip Nigerians with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities needed to thrive in an ever-changing economy.
