Manchester youth still hoping Holness will give him a job

Nygel Northover, the Manchester man who used social media to ask Prime Minister Andrew Holness to find him a job, is hopeful that his desire will soon be fulfilled.

The 26-year-old man said his encouragement stems from the fact that Holness recently answered the call of Nicola James from Christiana in the parish, who, like him, used her social media platform to solicit help from him.

Holness, on Independence Day, provided James with a cheque valued at a $150,000 and two boxes of liquor to assist her in her quest to open a bar.

Northover, who has five Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) passes, is hoping that he is next in line for assistance.

"To be honest, it is like hope to me because her video was done and released before mine. It was trending on social media for like two or three weeks, so I am hoping that he will reach out," he said.

"Mr Andrew Holness, me still a hope and pray seh yuh reach to me," the Dunsinane district, Mandeville, resident said.

Northover told THE STAR that he was not focused during his time at Thompson Town High School, and graduated from the Clarendon-based institution with only one subject.

"Dem time deh mi only did a focus on getting the girls. Mi never did too tek school serious," he said, regretfully.

After Thompson Town, he attempted four more CSEC subjects and was successful. He then did a diploma course in business development and data entry operation, which was offered jointly by Foga Road High and Caribbean Maritime University.

He has had several stints working as a security guard, but has been unemployed since May. Northover said that he has other academics ambitions, but for now the focus is on getting a decent job to help his mother, Real Martin-Greyson.

"Mi promise me mother that mi a guh mek it so me can tek care of her because there were many nights I saw her step outside the house to go and cry because after feeding us she didn't have anything to eat. But she never wanted us to see her cry," he said.

This conviction, he says, has served as an added motivation for him to make it in life.

"Every now and then mi do some farming, a it mi rely on right now fi help mi mother while mi gwan wait on getting the job that better suits my skill set," said Northover who recently turned down an opportunity for a temporary job because he was not prepared to "drop yuh moral standard".