Mukhtar Tijjani Diso has been struggling to keep afloat in his passion-driven career at a time securing a job is a very challenging task to most youths, irrespective of class, level of education and social status of families or guardians.
In an interaction with Daily Trust on Sunday, Diso, a construction engineer who hails from Kano State, revealed how challenging it is for young men to secure lucrative contracts from government and corporate bodies.
He, however, told our correspondent how the Kano State Government awarded him one of the talk-of-the-town projects after years of struggle.
He is the brain behind the construction of the structure that makes up the Government House roundabout, which was recently demolished and replaced by the Abba Kabir Yusuf-led administration.
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Daily Trust on Sunday reports that it is difficult to secure a contract from the government as it is always very competitive due to various interests by a host of eligible contractors. So, Diso was surprised that a low profile engineer like him, who came from nowhere, got such contract and executed accordingly, to the expectation of many.
Speaking on the challenges and how the governor endorsed the project, the young engineer said, “The day I was passing by and saw the roundabout demolished, I thought to myself that it was a very good opportunity to try and see if we could get the contract to reconstruct it.
“When we sought for it, the first thing I was told was that I was too young to do it, but I could go to the Government House and look for a smaller contract I could do. It was a trial as the governor said I should be given, even if I could not do it well, some other people could be called to correct it. It was a golden opportunity to prove myself.
“My approach was direct at first because I didn’t even know the procedure of seeking that kind of job, especially in government. I was given the opportunity; and according to them, if I could do it, then probably many would benefit. I was also being helped. At last, we were given the job and they appreciated it.
“After completing the job, they realised that the one initially done outside was not as good or captivating as the one we did inside, so we were asked to give it a new look, which we did.
“If you recall, the initial one was just a simple design with one apple-shaped icon placed on it, but we changed it to the present one, which goes in line with what Kano represents in terms of the pyramid and the state flag,” he said.
Further speaking about the challenges of securing a job like that, he explained that everywhere you go, those behind giving out contracts would prefer high profile individuals or companies, not minding who would deliver the best.
“It is challenging and we are still facing challenges. Wherever you go looking for jobs, they will not give you because you are not driving one expensive car or wearing expensive wears. They always look down on you despite that you are trying to do a better job, at least to better your chances tomorrow and build yourself and your career.
“We can execute a N10 million job at the rate of N4 million, but they won’t give us. They prefer those ones because there is no impression that we can deliver. Another thing is that they are not ready to help young people.
“Even at that, those that were given huge amounts to do the contracts still look for people like us to do it and they would give us peanuts out of what they got. They are in for business but they don’t know how to do it. Some of them have never laid their hands to fix anything.
“I have done uncountable works like this but majority of them belong to other contractors who got the contract but could not execute. They employ us to do it. They have the capital, big flashy cars and everything, so they are the ones benefitting.
“The ones I was contracted directly to do were not more than six; and they were mainly swimming pools and water fountains. And the materials are not even readily available here. You have to travel to Abuja or Lagos to get them and transport them down here whenever you have a contract,” he added.
Appreciating the kind gesture accorded to them as a team by the Kano State Government, he said they would forever remain grateful and proud to show anyone what they did something.
“The Kano State governor, chief of staff to the governor and the accountant-general of the state, have done a lot for us as this has highly helped us. We know it will go a long way in shaping our career. They first identified us as Kano indigenes and young people that are still coming up.
“The governor was even surprised that we could do this and still live in Kano because majority of those he knows that are into this are Yoruba and the Igbo, who are not even based here. It is hard to see a Hausa-speaking man doing it. We are not many going into it in this part of the country.
“I grew up with love for construction and innovation. I have been on this job for quite some time. It is the type of work we try our luck to get,” he further said.
On the quality of job delivered, Diso boasted that the structure would last for at least 50 years.
“This work can last for 50 years because of the kind of materials used in constructing it. We have a good team,” he explained.
The young man, who holds a diploma in Medical Laboratory, also obtained a certificate in art and design.
