On 22nd May, 1973, the regime of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon promulgated decree 24 of 1973 which subsequently set up the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to involve the country’s graduates in the development of the country. Since we are not in a state of war and there is no military conscription in Nigeria, the NYSC- which I see as one of the most strategic moves to foster national unity – somewhat filled the gap. At the initial stage, it only involved only 3,000 universities graduates, but later polytechnics and colleges of education graduates were later included in the national service which runs into hundreds of thousands annually.
As most are aware, what stands the scheme out was that corps members are posted to states other than their states of origin. The ideology was simple: They are expected to mix with people of other tribes, social and family backgrounds, to learn the culture of the indigenes in the place they are posted to. This action is aimed to bring about unity in the country and to help youths appreciate other ethnic groups and the complex cultural dynamics of Nigeria.
The ideologues of the program also envision that beyond unity, it would also help in creating entry-level jobs for many Nigerian youth. An NYSC forum dedicated to members was set up to bridge the gap amongst members serving across the country which also serves as an avenue for corpers to share job information and career resources as well as getting loans from the erstwhile National Directorate of Employment (NDE).
Just like most things Nigerian – like we oftentimes say – the programme started running into murky waters years later. Members started complaining of being underpaid, paid late or not paid at all, there were also issues of welfare of corps members. But the most serious of these challenges that rocked the scheme to its foundation is that several members have been killed in the states they were sent to due to religious, ethnic or political violence.
The first major blow came during the post-election violence in April 2011 when 11 corps members were killed in Bauchi State. Prior to the election, several other corps members employed as ad hoc staff by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were also killed in Suleja, Niger State, as well as in Jos, Plateau State. That of Jos was quite pathetic as the father of one of the victims was called by one of the assailants and told point blank that they are about to kill his son, which they eventually did while the phone was still on!
As a result of this development, the NYSC Directorate was forced to redeploy prospective corps members previously posted to “volatile states” in the North. This followed a media campaign mounted by parents and several stakeholders against posting corps members to states that have been prone to serious security threats. By that directive, prospective members, who were earlier posted to Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Kano and Kaduna States, were directed to report to the NYSC headquarters in Abuja for redeployment. Those posted to Yobe and Borno States also carried out their orientation exercise at the NYSC camps in Nasarawa and Benue States respectively.
As compensation for the attacks, President Goodluck Jonathan presented N5 million to families of those who lost their lives in these states. He also promised to give jobs to the other affected corps members immediately after the mandatory one-year service to the nation. But years later, the promised jobs are still in a shelf somewhere and most of the affected graduates still roam the streets looking for elusive jobs.
The attacks and the rapidly changing dynamics in the country have ignited a very passionate debate on whether the scheme is still relevant. At the forefront of the scrapping of the programme are understandably those who lost loved ones in the senseless killings. These calls were further spurred by unguided statements made by some government functionaries who appear to spit on the graves of those killed. Some public analysts and commentators also joined the call for the scrapping of the programme because they felt it has lost its relevance due to intolerance and lack of understanding of why it was set up in the first place.
This, I believe, was what compelled the NYSC in 2010 to come up with a policy not to post corps members to “volatile states” with weighted indicators to categorise states into red, yellow and green zones. The indicators used were incidents of bomb explosions and targeted attacks on corps members, etc.
From a personal point of view however, I believe the programme is still relevant and can still achieve some of the reasons why it was set up in the first place. There is clear consensus that NYSC is an ideal worth preserving. What is at issue in making the scheme continue to serve the nation is the security situation that now calls for a total overhaul and minimise the probability of corps members being physically harmed wherever they may be posted to in the country. If we allow the NYSC to go, I’m afraid that will be the beginning of the disintegration of the country. Agreed, there have been enormous challenges, but these challenges are definitely man-made and can be corrected if there is the political will.
Two weeks ago, the new Director-General, Brigadier-General Johnson Olawumi, at a forum, unfolded a four-point agenda to directors, deputy directors, state coordinators and camp directors of the 36 states of the federation. It includes: improving the service content of NYSC for national development; enhancing the welfare and safety of corps members and staff; expanding partnership for greater impact, funding and support; and increasing the visibility and relevance of the scheme.
Olawumi wondered why the structures and methods of 1973 are still being used “to drive a 21st century organisation that manages the most vibrant and dynamic segment of the Nigerian society.” Some of the questions he posed at the session were: “What can the NYSC do better to recapture the goodwill of the critical stakeholders? How fast can its staff and management work to regain the trust of both the Nigerian parents and the young men and women that are annually enlisted in the programme? Should the scheme wait for changes to be imposed upon it from outside, with attendant consequences?”
I was made to understand that barely two months in office, the new DG has already met with the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry with a view to building a partnership for the empowerment of corps members, he has visited the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the bid to ensure health insurance coverage for corps members and he wants to meet the INEC chairman on a broad range of issues concerning the security of corps members when they are deployed for election management. These – I was also told – are besides several other initiatives he is already working on and planning to announce in soon.
With these plans in the kitty, there is no doubt in my mind that the DG is effectively armed with an ambitious vision to revamp the scheme and make it relevant to our national development in this rapidly changing and technologically driven 21st century. But I do not believe that he would be naïve enough not to recognise that he needs the buy-in of the entire NYSC leadership. These are the guys on the ground, they know all the tricks in the books and they have the capacity to mar any well intended plan. I believe by seeking their buy-in he has put his right foot forward.
I am convinced that if Olawumi can pull this through he will help to reposition the NYSC as a vital tool for national cohesion and development. This is why I am throwing my weight behind him, and will urge well-meaning Nigerians who truly love this country to support him because of the critical nature of the scheme to our unity and cohesion.
