Through its newly launched Tripoint Academy Internship Programme, the organisation is pioneering a model that trains young Nigerians to be truly employable, while also offering them real job opportunities.

The first cohort of the six-month programme graduated this weekend in Lagos. Out of seven interns, three have already been offered jobs at Tripoint Travels, while partner organisations are considering others.

Mrs Shuhda Muhammed, managing director of Tripoint Travels and founder of Tripoint Academy, described the programme as a prototype designed to prove that Nigerian Youths, when given the right skills and guidance, can become assets to any industry.

“I came to the realisation, being an entrepreneur myself and running Tripoint Travels, that we need to have good employees. What that means is, we need intrapreneurs in our organisations for us to be able to grow, scale up and thrive in any industry. And one of the challenges we’ve been facing as entrepreneurs is employment, employability, because most of the youths out there are already educated,” she said.

The MD of Tripoint Travels has referred to this programme as more than an internship – but as the start of a movement.

Mrs Muhammed hopes to see more organisations adopt this model and has urged them to grow talents to grow a workforce of employable young Nigerians who are ready to stay, work and thrive in Nigeria.

The Tripoint Academy Internship Programme combines hands-on business training with personal development, designed to turn graduates into Intrapreneurs who bring creativity, responsibility and growth mindsets into the workplace.

Industry stakeholders lauded the initiative. Dr. Olawale Anifowose, Managing Director of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (Nigeria), praised Tripoint’s bold step; he said that

“Tripoint Travels has confronted one of the biggest challenges businesses face, which is talent management and finding the right people to work within their company. By equipping young people with practical skills, they are setting an example other organisations should follow”.

One of the graduates, Taiwo Fapohunda, echoed the impact of the programme.

He said,

“It has been an eye-opener that has shifted me to become a better person. With the skills and confidence I have gained, I know I can grow and contribute meaningfully in the world of aviation and beyond”

Tripoint Travels is calling on entrepreneurs, organisations and institutions to replicate this model, scale it up and help curb unemployment across the country.

“This is just the beginning”, Mrs Muhammed added. “This is the first trial, and it came out amazing. We’ve shown that it can work, now imagine the impact on the economy if a greater number of organisations across Nigeria can adopt this approach”

Beyond a game or entertainment, betting has turned into survival for many. It has become a shadow economy; unregulated, growing, and dangerously desirable. 

While inflation has eased to 22.97% in May 2025, the cost of living is still painfully high. Food inflation stands at 21.14% in some regions, with over 11 million youth currently unemployed. The formal job market is weak and the naira’s value is still volatile. So, in this situation, sports betting has surged, offering supposed instant relief.

Betting Grew with Digitalisation

Once confined to corners and street kiosks, betting has evolved into an app-powered business. With platforms like Bet9ja, SportyBet, and 1xBet just a tap away, the gambling industry has embedded itself into Nigeria’s digital space.

What changed? Fast mobile internet, zero-data apps, and fintech services have made online betting frictionless. These platforms create full digital systems where engagement is constant and money moves in microseconds.

Nigeria’s gambling market is now projected to reach ₦5.4 trillion ($3.63 billion) in revenue by the end of 2025 and it goes beyond niche interest; more than 60 million Nigerians place bets regularly, and 51.7% of adults have participated in sports betting in the past year. Of those, 92.8% use mobile apps or online platforms, showing the influence of smartphones and digital wallets in everyday life.

Desperation in Disguise

To be honest, most people aren’t betting for fun but because life offers few alternatives. With few stable jobs, unaffordable essentials, and a currency unable to hold value, betting has become a tool of survival for millions.

They are not just chasing money, they are chasing control in a system that feels broken. The psychology is that even a low-probability win can feel like a plan. It gives people something to believe in, even if only for a weekend.

Over time, the lines between entertainment and necessity blur. I’ve seen friends who were once risk-averse now talking fluently in betting codes, obsessing over odds and results. Some bet daily, others borrow to place “just one more” slip. Hope is addictive, especially when nothing else feels within reach.

Influencers, Fintechs, and the Normalisation of Risk

There’s now a new breed of influencers; betting tipsters, odds peddlers, and prediction gurus. Dressed in designer labels and framed by luxury cars, they turn betting into a lifestyle brand. On TikTok and Telegram, they promise “sure odds,” flaunt “big wins,” and sell paid subscriptions for “insider tips.” The reality they promote is rarely about risk but all reward.

Fintech platforms, meanwhile, have enabled seamless payment flows. Digital wallets make it easy to deposit and bet without friction. These wallets, usually used for remittances, bill payments, and savings, are now primary gateways to betting platforms. This convergence of fintech and gambling is largely unregulated, and it leads to concerns about responsibility and ethics.

Are we witnessing a silent partnership between digital finance and digital gambling?

The Human and Economic Cost

The fallout is not always visible, but it is real. Gambling addiction is increasing, especially among the youth. Families are breaking under the weight of debt, rent money is disappearing into betting apps, students are skipping meals to place multi-slip bets and many of these stories never make headlines, because failure in betting is quietly endured.

Even more alarming is the number of underage users involved. Despite legal restrictions, many teenagers are actively betting, aided by lax digital checks and loopholes in mobile registrations. Age barriers exist, but in practice, enforcement is nearly non-existent.

What we’re seeing is beyond a financial issue, it’s a public health problem in slow motion.

The Silence of the Regulator

The National Lottery Regulatory Commission exists, but its voice is barely heard. There is no serious public campaign against betting addiction, no framework to hold platforms accountable for unethical practices and no formal obligation on fintechs to flag or limit excessive gambling behaviour.

This is both a policy gap and a leadership void. Betting companies are flourishing, yet there’s almost no investment in user education, digital well-being, or transparency.

Gambling isn’t illegal but unregulated gambling in a weak economy creates a recipe for personal and collective harm.

What Are We Really Betting On?

When millions of people, many of them educated, spend their days chasing odds, what does that say about our economy? What does it say about the level of trust in formal employment, fair wages, and long-term planning?

We can’t build a future by turning hope into a business model. The growth of betting isn’t just a statistic but a warning that when systems fail, people will create their own logic, their own economy, their own faith in chance.

With wages delayed in our country, pensions corrupted, and job offers being like lottery, betting has become the new currency of hope. But it is a fragile, dangerous hope that can easily flip into despair.

Nigeria needs better choices, better opportunities and leadership that understands that surviving should never have to come down to a single bet.

Have you felt the pressure to bet just to get by? Join the conversation using #MacroMonday or share your story with us at Techeconomy.

This revealed a marginal increase of 0.1% points compared to the same period last year.

The latest data, derived from the Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS), revealed contrasting trends in unemployment across demographics, regions, and educational backgrounds. 

Men recorded a lower unemployment rate of 3.4%, while women faced a higher rate of 5.1%, disclosing gender disparities in job accessibility.

Urban centres were hit harder than rural areas, with unemployment in cities rising to 5.2% compared to a much lower 2.8% in rural regions. 

These differences point to the role of agriculture and informal sectors in rural employment, while urban areas continue to struggle with higher reliance on formal job markets.

Youth unemployment, specifically among individuals aged 15 to 24, showed improvement, dropping to 6.5% from 8.4% in the first quarter of 2024. This decline implies some success in initiatives aimed at addressing youth joblessness, although challenges remain in sustaining this progress.

Education and Employment Trends

Nigeria’s unemployment rate also varied significantly by educational attainment. Individuals with upper secondary education faced the highest unemployment at 8.5%, followed by those with lower secondary education at 5.8%. 

Surprisingly, those with only primary education recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 2.8%, suggesting that skill mismatches in the job market might be a factor.

On the other hand, those with post-secondary education fared better, with a comparatively lower unemployment rate of 4.8%. This trend reinforces the importance of tailoring education to meet labour market demands.

Labour Market Dynamics

The labour force participation rate—a measure of the working-age population actively engaged in the labour market—rose to 79.5% in Q2 2024. 

Rural areas led this metric with an 83.2% participation rate, compared to 77.2% in urban areas. Gender disparities were minimal, with male participation at 79.9% and female participation at 79.1%.

The employment-to-population ratio also saw an increase, climbing to 76.1% from 73.1% in Q1 2024. Rural areas again outperformed urban centres in this metric, with employment rates of 80.8% and 73.2%, respectively.

Self-Employment Remains Dominant

Self-employment accounted for an overwhelming 85.6% of total employment, up from 84% in Q1 2023 — informal work in Nigeria’s economy tops. 

The rural self-employment rate stood at 94.3%, compared to 79.7% in urban areas. Women were more likely to be self-employed, with a rate of 88.3% compared to 82.2% for men.

Meanwhile, the share of employees in the labour force declined to 14.4%, emphasising the limited availability of formal employment opportunities.

While the slight increase in unemployment is a challenge, improvements in youth employment and labour force participation provide a silver lining. 

However, the continuous gender gap and urban-rural disparities call for targeted interventions to create a more equitable labour market. 

The reign of self-employment and informal work points to the urgent need to expand formal job opportunities to stabilise Nigeria’s workforce and drive sustainable economic growth.

Also, ensuring education and training align with market needs will be necessary in tackling unemployment and enabling long-term progress.