The National Youth Service Corps was established in decree No. 24 of 22nd May 1973 with a view to properly encourage and develop common ties and to promote national unity in Nigeria. A view which became paramount after the Nigerian Civil war in a bid to reconstruct, reconsile and rebuild the country. This idea has to be commended in all sincerity for its creativity and role in providing a long term panacea to the problem of inter regional conflicts in the country.
Fourty three years on and this scheme with all its Modus Operandi have been maintained. Qualified graduates from approved higher learning institutions are posted to the various states of the federation in batches, Camped for three weeks where they undergo certain paramilitary training and are then assigned to a place of primary assignment. The NYSC certificate which is issued to corpers at the end of their Service year is an important prerequisite for getting jobs in the country. This implies that all graduates below the age of thirty must undergo the NYSC program to increase their odds of getting employed.
Since 1973, Nigeria has evolved into the most populated country in Africa and the 7th most populated country in the world. The challenges confronting Her as a nation has also taken new dimensions. We are now faced with several challenges including; massive corruption, terrorism, increased crime rate, poor infrastructure, unemployment, poor and deteriorating economy amongst others. These challenges have over time relegated our international image and have rubbished our integrity as a nation.
The federal government pumps in billions of Naira on a yearly basis for the purpose of NYSC camping. Lets bring in some honesty into this-The government spends billions of Naira yearly in camping graduates to; give them lectures, paramilitary training, teach them how to Parade, engage them in sporting activities, etc. some of these are very helpful whereas others have no meaning whatsoever. For instance what is the essence of giving Paramilitary training to university graduates?
The NYSC program has its flaws on graduates viz a viz:
- TIME WASTAGE; Some graduates are forced to wait several months before been mobilized by the NYSC board leading to wastage of ample time. The lucky once get a part time job wherein they get paid while the unlucky once will have to sit at home idle. A wise saying states- ‘an idle mind is the devil’s workshop’
- A good number of corpers get rejected in their place of primary assignment and are left to wallow about in search for organizations to accept them for service. The implication of this been that more and more corpers turn to ghost corpers whereby they aren’t actually serving in any organization but have an arrangement with Local government officials which exempts them from any form of penalty thereby defeating the most essential objective of the NYSC.
- It is also important to mention that not all organizations have certain provisions for corpers such as accommodation and stipends. Hence, most corpers go through a hard time accessing affordable and conducive accommodations where the organizations have no such provision. Even though the Federal government pay a monthly allowance of 19,800 Naira to corpers, one would agree with me that in the current situation of the country, 19,800 Naira can only do little. All of these factors put together makes the entire service year miserable for some corpers. It is entirely true that the NYSC program has aided quite a lot of graduates secure jobs in various organizations in the country but, its only fair that we look at both sides of the coin.
In view of these challenges, it is my humble opinion and am sure the opinion of many others that government needs to review the NYSC in totality.
Times have changed and our priorities needs to be redefined . We are no longer trying to quench the aftermath of a Civil war. Rather, unemployment and an appalling state of economy are now the front runners amidst other challenges. Moreover the number of graduates in Nigeria hovers around an average of 200,000 per year. A number which exceeds the employment opportunities in the country.
Nigeria is a nation blessed with youths who are hardworking, creative and innovative. Whether it’s the system that has compelled some towards considering illegal means of making money is an argument for another day. But one would agree that this country is blessed with youths who often display an impecable level of dexterity. More and more graduates are now considering handworks which are very lucrative such as; fish farming, poultry farming, bead making, fashion design, catering, Interior decoration, tailoring, photography and the likes. It is obvious to even the blind that the federal government cannot employ all graduates in the country and today graduates are fully aware of this fact and are willing to make an effort towards becoming self reliant. But does the system permit? The major challenge for most young graduates out there is a start up capital. This serves as a basis for the suggestion below
The NYSC should focus on training graduates who are willing to go into business on their preferred choice of business/handwork and the 19,800 which is to be paid to them on a monthly basis for a period of one year should be summed up and given to such interested graduates as start up capital. A supervisory agency should be set up to monitor the progress of the business so as to ensure the proper utilization of the funds released. This will ensure a reduction in the rate of unemployment and will help the economy too as there would be more SMEs in the country. It’ll enable graduates become self reliant, competitive and employers of labor rather than dependants of government jobs.
Also, graduates who are willing to to go through the existing system as it is whereby they’ll be posted to a place of primary assignment and be paid a monthly allowance of 19,800 should be allowed to do so. The idea is to provide an alternative for graduates to either serve in an organization or start up a business which will make them self reliant.
I would like to categorically state that, am not advocating for the complete eradication of the NYSC, am simply suggesting a review of the NYSC scheme in order to make it flexible enough to match our present day challenges.
By; Zayyad Ibrahim Baba
Related
powered by sue.ng a legal search engine