Still on the Nysc scheme

Like every other nation, Nigeria has had her own fair share of Herculean challenges and difficult moments. For instance, within a few years of securing independence from the British colonial master, the country witnessed two military coups, abortive attempts to create a unitary state, and a civil war, which caused one and a half million deaths from starvation in its 30 months, aside its battlefield casualties. The civil war seriously drained Nigeria’s resources and significantly added to the weight of socio-economic and political problems in the country. In accepting Biafra’s unconditional cease-fire, the then military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, announced that there would be “no victor and no vanquished”. In this spirit, the later years were declared as a period of “rehabilitation, reconstruction, and reconciliation”. Ever since then, achieving national integration and cohesion has been a major issue in the polity.

In view of the various ethnic and tribal entities that constitute the Nigerian federation, lack of unity has always been a major impediment to nation building in the country. Consequently, one major challenge that succeeding administrations in the country have had to grapple with has been disunity. Therefore, from independence till date, successive governments have devised various policies and programmes with the primary goal of surmounting the various complications posed by the country’s diverse population.

Possibly, one of such policies and programmes particularly conceptualised to foster unity among the populace is the National Youth Service Corps programme. The programme, a brainchild of the Gowon’s military administration, was conceived in 1973 as a way to address the major fallouts of the Nigerian civil war (1967-1970). Having fought a bitter civil war that further exposed the precarious nature of the county’s federation, the NYSC scheme was put in place as a policy that could enhance the unity of the country. The core aspect of the programme, through which this could be achieved, is that which involves the posting of fresh graduates to various parts of the country for a mandatory one-year national service.

Like every government’s policies and programmes, despite its various shortcomings, the NYSC scheme has over the years succeeded, in its own little way, in fostering unity in the country. Through it, a few inter-tribal marriages, which ordinarily might not have taken place, have been consummated. Also, some of the corps members, seeing the limitless possibilities for prosperity in their host communities, have stayed back in those communities (irrespective of tribal and ethnic differences) to earn a living through various legitimate means. Similarly, through various means of social interactions, a few of the corps members have been able to learn, speak and understand the language spoken in their places of primary assignments. Also, lots of the corps members have been exposed to various customs and traditions of diverse parts of the country through the scheme.

Indisputably, therefore, the scheme has over the years been a uniting factor in the country. However, in view of current realities in the country, it is imperative for operators of the scheme to modify it so as to meet contemporary demands. It is, therefore, in line with this that one is suggesting that the scheme be made optional such that those who are not interested in it could be excused to move on with their lives without having to lose anything. From the various tales of gross dearth in the provision of various basic needs of life for corps members while at the orientation camp as well as places of primary assignment , it is clear that resources at the disposal of the scheme’s operators and their partners are not enough to meet the needs of thousands of corps members who participate in the scheme. As a result this, it is only rational that the programme becomes optional. This way, available resources could actually go round and the programme could become more efficient, interesting and enjoyable for those who opt to participate.

Also, while posting out corps members to various parts of the country, the authorities should consider their safety as a top priority. Hence, any part of the country where corps members could become endangered species should be considered as not good enough for them. Life is too precious to be wasted in avoidable circumstances. We must learn to respect and value the sacred nature of life.

Furthermore, there is the need to extend the period spent at the orientation camp by corps members beyond what presently obtains. This is to ensure that, apart from the paramilitary training on offer at the camp, corps members could spend more time to be trained in different vocations that could economically empower them after leaving the camp. This becomes very vital given the dreadful state of unemployment in the country. It has now become quite clear that certificates alone are no longer sufficient enough for economic empowerment. Thus, every avenue through which the youth could be empowered for economic survival should be taken hold of.

Similarly, while deploying corps members for primary assignments, efforts should be made to ensure that they are deployed to places where they could essentially put into practice what they studied at school. A situation where someone who studied mass communication, for instance, is deployed to a farm settlement is, to say the least, counter-productive. The NYSC programme could be a springboard for the corps member to acquire the experience needed for gainful employment, if the deployment process is right.

Perhaps, more importantly, the authorities need to seriously reconsider the current remuneration of corps members. Presently, corps members receive a little below N20,000 monthly. With the present economic condition in the country, it has yet to be seen, how a graduate could survive on such amount in cities such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Ibadan among others, where the cost of living is rather on the high side.

As it has been previously noted, the NYSC scheme is good for national integration and cohesion, but , as it is often said, change is the only constant thing in life. Therefore, modifying the scheme to suit present-day needs would only make the vision more realisable and realistic . According to John Calvin Maxwell, “Failed plans should not be interpreted as a failed vision. Visions don’t change, they are only refined. Plans rarely stay the same, and are scrapped or adjusted as needed. Be stubborn about the vision, but flexible with your plan”.

- Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.