Nigerian singer and entrepreneur Ric Hassani has sparked heated debate after openly lamenting the struggle to find reliable staff for his businesses.
In a lengthy post on X, the “Only You” crooner and owner of brands including Hassani Bakery and Hassani Jollof revealed he has been searching for a General Manager and Sales & Marketing Executive without success.
“Nobody wants to work anymore. For a while I have been looking for a GM and Sales & Marketing Executive for one of my business brands we’ve been trying to staff, and it has been such a hassle finding people to employ, and also employable people, because these are two different things,” he wrote.
Hassani blamed the widespread “be your own boss” culture pushed by social media and the influencer lifestyle. He argued that many, especially the younger generation, now resign at the slightest inconvenience because they believe starting their own thing is easy.
“In today’s time, the Devil seems to have convinced everyone that you can ‘do it on your own’ or, ‘be an influencer’ and, ‘be your own boss’ so much that everyone (especially this new generation) is so quick to resign at their slightest inconvenience so they keep resigning and trying to ‘do their own thing’ because the current world has sold to them that it’s so easy to do.”
He stressed that building a real business is far harder than the glamorous image often sold online.
“A business, is not easy to do. Putting together a company, is almost if not a Talent. Nobody sees the honor in working in a company, growing with and in it, and using the skills you gain for free through the process of your service to that company to build your own personal skills, while still being compensated a salary.”
Hassani also criticized the lack of tolerance for correction. He referenced a common meme about younger employees resigning the moment they are corrected and said his experience confirms it is real.
“Society in general today, is so ‘offended’ at everything. They are offended at what they should otherwise be ashamed of. I miss shame. Growing up, we would be ashamed of a mistake, seek correction and recompense. Shame guided us to a degree.”
The singer emphasized the value of mentorship.
“There is beauty in Guidance. There is beauty in submitting yourself to being Mentored. At my level, I chase and seek out mentors. I need that guidance as much as I’m open to giving it.”
His post quickly gained thousands of views and sparked mixed reactions. Some users agreed with his observations about entitlement and quick resignation culture, while others countered that low pay and poor working conditions are bigger factors.
Hassani ended on a reflective note, admitting that today’s society sometimes feels foreign to him.
“I don’t know where society is going… Society might be wounded, so I pray society heals.”
The comments have ignited conversations about work ethic, entrepreneurship myths, and generational differences in Nigeria’s job market.