Yusuf An-Nuphawi
That the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has sacked eleven of its staff, demoted several others and asked others to proceed on retirement prematurely for different offences bordering on sharp practices that are capable of undermining the integrity of the corps, is a demonstration of the determination of its leadership to return discipline, uprightness, integrity and total dedication to civil work within the organisation.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the scheme’s maiden edition of a Preparatory Course for State Coordinators held at the Nigerian School of Military Engineering (NASME) barrack in Makurdi, last month, Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Johnson Olawumi, said “as part of (NYSC) efforts to bring sanity into our operations and rid the scheme of a few bad eggs giving the scheme a bad name— the government approved the dismissal of eleven staff for engaging in different acts of misconduct while nine others were given various sanctions such as warning letters, loss of seniority, termination of appointment and compulsory retirement from service”.
He added that the annual preparatory course has been packaged and targeted at addressing corruption, unnecessary bureaucracy that delay work speed and gross inefficiency in the public sector and also to close the visible gaps in the training circle of the NYSC for enhanced performance.
These gestures, no doubt, suggest the extent at which the present leadership of the scheme is prepared to revive the glory of NYSC, which has been under threat by several malpractices.
In recent time, Nigerians have reacted to the sharp practices in the NYSC scheme which have led to depreciation of standard and purpose of the scheme established by the Gen. Yakubu Gowon-led military administration in 1973 shortly after the civil war, to help in uniting the ethnic, cultural and religiously diversified nation.
Corps members are posted to states other than their states of origin. They are expected to mix with people of other tribes, social and family backgrounds and learn the culture of the indigenes in the place they are posted to. The overall intention is to forge unity in the country and to help youths appreciate other ethnic groups.
The one year scheme commences with an orientation period of approximately three weeks spent in a military controlled boot camp away from family and friends. This is followed by a period of carrying out primary assignment. There is also a passing out ceremony at the end of the year followed by one month of vacation.
Unarguably, the NYSC remains a vital tool of unity in Nigeria as it meets the dire need of integration. Often, graduates fall in love with their host communities during the service year thus creating a strong bond of oneness that never did exist before. National unity is being enhanced by the scheme. The NYSC also provides much needed emergency labour among disadvantaged communities. Some rural areas are blessed with such skilled laborers like doctors, nurses, architects and engineers, who are always delighted to positively touch the communities.
The educational sector was the most impacted. Many schools owed their continued existence to corps members who not only teach the students but provided basic amenities for the schools and the communities in form of Community Development Service (CDS).
These numerous advantages made the NYSC such an important part of national life that it became part of the nation’s identity. And many university and polytechnic undergraduates often look forward with excitement to the period when they would be called to serve the father land with pride. And by the decree that established it, the scheme, it is mandatory for all graduates to serve for a year, except for one cogent reason or the other as stipulated in establishment act. So, employers of labour and postgraduate colleges made it a prerequisite for employment and admission.
Unfortunately however, the whole process was recently marred with various allegations of favoritism. Corps members are now running away from their places of primary assignment in connivance with Zonal Inspectors who are alleged to collect monthly allowances accruable the corps members. As a result, these crop of corps members still get certified at the end of the year.
While scraping the scheme could do more harm to the weak force that integrate the nation, many are of the view that the scheme had outlived its usefulness and the purpose for which it was introduced had since been defeated and are calling for its abrogation. Also, many employers now reject corps members posted to their organisations. The few that accept do so grudgingly. The only place where they are most welcome is primary and secondary schools, where they are used for cheap labour, often with little or no extra remuneration especially in private owned schools.
Except those who are in charge, Nigerians are not aware of how much exactly the government is spending on each corps member annually. Some argue that the amount is up to a million naira but the NYSC officials have kept mum over the issue- they are yet to acknowledge, debunk or make public the figures for the concerned citizens to know. Many have even called on the government to rather empower the young graduates with such money to do legitimate businesses instead of a year service to the nation that cannot grantee automatic employment at the end.
According to statistics from the scheme, the population of corps members per year has been astronomically increasing with resources to take care of them by the government going down the slope. The figure has grown from a paltry 2,364 in 1973, to about 249,000 this year. And the projection based on the number of universities especially private ones springing up shows that in the next four to five years, the corps population might hit 350,000. Nigerians, therefore, are urging the government to devise economically effective approach to curb the consequences that will follow if this prophesy becomes a reality.
It has been observed that the scheme designed to mobilize graduates that are less than 30 years of age has now been chunked up with graduates whose ages are above the maximum age set. There are instances where people above the age of 40 are being mobilized. In such cases, graduates falsify their true age only to benefit from the monthly allowance. Stakeholders in the education sector have recommended to tertiary institutions to make it mandatory for students seeking admission to present their genuine certificates of birth while seeking admission. If the rule is properly adhered to, the institutions will definitely know from their information data bank the students who are not supposed to be mobilized for the service on their graduation.
In an interview with newsmen early this year, the NYSC Director General acknowledged that there is a public argument on whether the scheme should be made optional, with incentives for those who volunteer to serve. Such incentives could include that the NYSC certificate be made a prerequisite for service in the military, police, and other paramilitary agencies, the civil service, and for those seeking political office. For those who make this argument, some benefits would also accrue to the scheme if service is made optional. Such benefits include: less number of corps members to manage, such that resources can be used with more impact; improved discipline and reduction in requests for concessional postings; and the fact that only those ready for service will be mobilised.
While making the service optional may be highly beneficial on the part of the government and the citizens, the suggested incentives is unjustifiable, inimical to principles of justice and equity and it will form a potential threat to the national productivity. With such option, rate of unemployment will seriously increase even beyond the imagination of everyone. If the scheme will be made optional, the government should adopt soft and safer alternative like making it a prerequisite only for service in the military, police and paramilitary agencies, as mentioned before.
The NYSC under its present leadership, no doubt, is vibrant and progressive with modernization. The online mobilisation initiative is commendable because in the past, some prospective corps members could lost their lives to accidents on their way to collect their call-up letters.
If in ten years’ time, the NYSC succeed in its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneur Development programme (SAED) to turn Nigerian graduates from job seekers to job creators, it will become a reference scheme on the African continent and the world at large.
