NYSC @ 35: Bravo Ajuwaya By Ezennaya Chibueze Sixtus

Exactly in 1973, the National Youths Service Corp (NYSC) scheme was introduced with a view to promoting national development, unity and patriotism among Nigerian Youths who had graduated from Nigerian Universities. Some remarkable changes have since taken place with regard to those qualified for the scheme.

Firstly, in about the fourth year of its inception, the NYSC programme was expanded to incorporate graduates of the Colleges of Technology, Monotechnics and Polytechnics. Later, holders of the National Certificate of Education (NCE) joined in the programme.

Although there was initially some controversy over the allowances to be paid to this new group of NYSC members, matters were soon ironed out. The products of the Universities, the educational and “technical” institutions have since been cooperating in furthering the aims and objectives of the programme. This programme has since too been extended to Nigerian graduates from abroad. The next major change was the decision to remove the age ceiling placed on those who could become NYSC members. From the apex age of thirty, the scheme was thrown open to graduates from every institutions of higher learning irrespective of age. Exemption could only depend on poor health or infirmity of the graduate.

However, a good many of the NYSC members, actual and potential, need to do more to internalize the scheme’s ideal of integration. It serves no useful purpose for potential members to keep making efforts at influencing their postings. NYSC officials themselves must vigorously discourage this tendency. The Federal, State and Local Government authorities on their parts should not worsen matters by exposing corps members to the vagaries of corruption. Situations where corpers connive with officers of their primary and secondary assignment for “job-cover up” while engaging in another thing altogether defeats the essence of the scheme. It needs to be reminded officials of the scheme and corps members particularly women that it is a great risk for pregnant mothers to engage in the rigorous exercises of the scheme hence the exclusion of pregnant women from the scheme. But sometimes, they “bulldoze” their way through.
The recent backsliding movement of the Federal Government on the scheme makes one suspect the programme as singing the Nunc Dimitis. Other wise, what could be the rationale behind the Federal Government decision to exclude NCE holders from the programme? In the year 2000 or thereabout, the programme suffered another blow when ban was placed on people over 30 years even though Nigerians and their penchant for age-declaration could be a leeway to beating the ban. Feelers from the NYSC secretariat show that from 2008, the scheme is to have three badges of corpers; Sep/Oct, Feb/March and June/July. In 2003/2004, badge “B” corps members were restricted to teaching. The notice could be to sift the chaff from the grain as many of the graduates, in Nigeria despite their certificates are hollow with academics bareness coupled with the unwillingness of many private sector firms to accept these corpers due to hard times. Much as these measures could help savage the scheme from being dragged to the mire, the scheme needs to be refocused if the real human values of it is anticipated and to be tapped.

It was Booker Taliafero Washington who postulated that, “no nation will prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling the field as in writing a poem”. Again, one Augolan proverb has it that “it is useless preaching to a hungry man”. When Nigerians are dying of hunger while our farmlands are yearning for workers, why these able-bodied youths should be denied of this gainful “one year compulsory employment” calls for a rethink on the part of the Federal Government. Apart from helping to feed the nation’s population, products of these farms could be exported. Cassava-starch, Garri and Yam highly needed in Europe are potential foreign exchange earners thereby diversifying the revenue base of Nigeria from monoeconomy. This all-embracing farm should have fish-ponds, snail-cages, poultry etc depending on the area. All these will help the corpers more, than theorizing it in endless and fruitless seminars, workshops and “talkshops” in the camp. Talking, after all, does not fill the basket in the farm according to President Benjamin Nkapa of Tanzania. Definitely, tilling the land does. For this line of thought to become a reality, at least one agricultural farm should be set up in all the senatorial zones of the country. A situation where people of productive age and trained to be so, scoop gutters in the township, sweep pathways, lanes and streets above all fill potholes on our high ways worse still discuss idly in the Local Government Secretariat every Friday in the name of Community Development Service make nonsense of the name. This has invariably called for the restructuring of the scheme so that the service periods will synchronize with our cropping or farming season.

Furthermore, this anniversary provides an opportunity for the NYSC Directorate to ensure efficiently in the co-ordination of the primary and secondary assignment through improved liaison with the various communities and employers of corps member. The supply of singlets, trousers, canvasses and other equipment to corps members has now become a problem perhaps due to economic crunch. But with this new direction, the scheme would not only be self-supporting but also a revenue earner for government besides paving way for new career opportunity for the corps members. Most importantly, the real essence of the scheme will be achieved to the utmost thus distancing and safeguarding it from frustration and failure.

“Bravo Ajuwaya” Happy Anniversary and may the years of the programme be long.


Mr. Ezennaya writes for the World Igbo Times Magazine, London.