Wema Bank has announced a series of walk-in interviews for job seekers interested in joining the bank as Commercial Relationship Management Officers (RMOs).

The announcement was made in a statement on LinkedIn on Wednesday.

A walk-in interview is an employment interview where employers take up jobs for several days, and any candidate interested in applying can attend.

The interview is also known as an open job interview. Rather than arrange different interviews with job applicants, the organisation holds on-the-spot interviews.

The bank also announced that walk-in interviews will take place from Monday, 17 November, to Friday, 21 November 2025, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at selected Wema Bank branches across the country.

The statement reads: “A fresh wave of opportunities is rolling in at Wema Bank and this could be the moment you’ve been waiting for!

“Wema Bank is hosting walk-in interviews for passionate, driven, and career-focused individuals ready to take their next big step as Commercial Relationship Management Officers (RMOs).

“This is your chance to join a dynamic, innovative, and people-centred bank that continues to lead in growth, culture, and opportunity. If you’re ready to elevate your career, come prepared, confident, and ready to shine.”

Concerns regarding possible crowd control problems during the walk-in interviews were voiced by some social media users.

Godswill Asukwo commented on the Wema Bank post, saying, “Please, put the needed logistics in place to avoid stampede and unforeseen situations. I have phobia for open recruitment in Nigeria.”

Another user, Olatoye Kolawole also wrote, “Crowd control! measure must be adequate.”

The recruitment drive comes at a time of high youth unemployment in Nigeria. A report presented at the Nigerian Youth Dialogue in Abuja indicated that nearly 80 million young Nigerians are currently unemployed.

The report, delivered by Jonathan Abakpa, advocacy and youth programme officer at Plan International Nigeria, noted that approximately 1.7 million graduates leave Nigeria’s universities and polytechnics every year, yet the economy continues to lack the capacity to absorb them into the labour market.

Nigeria is home to more than 140 million people, according to the 2006 census. However, in the recent past various sources have put the country’s population at about 200 million.

The findings of the youth report align with data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

According to the NBS, youth unemployment and underemployment remain critical challenges, with millions trapped in informal and unstable jobs that offer little income security.

The bureau’s labour market statistics for the second quarter of 2024 show that the labour force participation rate among the working-age population rose to 79.5 per cent from 77.3 per cent in the first quarter of the year.

Similarly, the employment-to-population ratio climbed to 76.1 per cent in Q2, an increase of 2.9 percentage points from 73.2 per cent in Q1. However, this represented a slight decline when compared to the 77.1 per cent recorded in Q2 2023.

The combined unemployment and time-related underemployment rate dropped to 13 per cent in Q2 2024 from 15.3 per cent in Q1 2023.

Despite this improvement, 93% of workers were employed informally, which is indicative of the unstable and unprotected nature of the majority of jobs.

The official unemployment rate stood at 4.3 per cent in Q2.

The NBS also noted that 40.1 per cent of Nigerians, about 82.9 million people live in poverty, a statistic that mirrors the report’s grim portrayal of shrinking opportunities for the younger generation. (The Guardian)