In Nigeria, the job application is a formality. The real application is "who know man?" You send your CV to 50 companies. You get zero responses. Your friend sends their CV to one company, through their uncle's friend who plays golf with the MD. They get an interview next week. This is not corruption; it is the system. The system runs on relationships, not merit. The "who know man" economy is frustrating for the outsider. The brilliant graduate with no connections. The skilled worker with no network. They watch less qualified people advance because someone vouched for them. It feels unfair because it is. But the networkers defend it. "Why should I hire a stranger when my friend's cousin is qualified?" "Trust is important in business." "A recommendation is a form of quality control." They are not wrong. But they are not entirely right either. Did you get your current job through merit or connection? And how do you feel about the "who know man" system?
