NYSC: Thinking forward

IF not for the Nigerian Civil War, the contraption called Nigeria Youths Service Corps (NYSC), apparently, will never have become a metaphor for social integration, or so it seems. Will the scheme itself, in the first place, be born into this world? I doubt.

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To fast-track a genuine reconciliation amongst discontented masses, speed up the reconstruction process of damaged infrastructure and other national assets, together with the exigent task of rebuilding the wrecked Nigerian ‘Ship’, in May 1973, something epochal happened. On that day, NYSC was established by the junta government of Major-General Yakubu Gowon. The birth of the scheme incontestably was as a result of Gowon’s priority for building lasting peace while forging rock-solid unity and uncommon national progress, post-civil war.

It was established to conscript Nigerian graduates into the nation-building project, and also to accelerate national development. Since 1973, graduates of universities and later polytechnics have participated in the NYSC program for one year known as national service year.

It is however depressing to note that the scheme has only achieved few of its salient objectives. One can say, without contradiction, that it has been mix-fortune for the NYSC. Of course, we have seen and appreciated the outstanding contribution of the scheme in building and consummating marital relationships amongst Nigerians of diverse ethnic lineages.

Kudos to the scheme, corps members and their staff are been actively involved in conducting sensitive national assignments like elections, where they are recruited as ad-hoc staff by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Also, the NYSC has contributed to promoting national unity, and increased mobility of labour, which has assisted public schools, hospitals and private organisations to have a steady pool of cheap skilled labour.

Suffice to say that the scheme has also served as a veritable platform for ‘adventurous’ youths to explore the rich cultural traditions and heritage of other ethnic groups different from theirs, in the states they are posted to. Through the Community Development Service (CDS), essential infrastructure and basic amenities have been provided for many remote communities by generous and philanthropic corps members.

But some lingering and bothersome issues have made its critics to utterly demonize, flagrantly condemn and question the program’s relevance, just has others are ‘baying for its blood’, saying it should be abolished.

Among other things, the NYSC has succeeded little in producing enterprising youths who become financially self-reliant or if you like, budding entrepreneurs and employers of labour, instead of job-seekers. This is owing to the fact that most of the scheme’s graduates, all through their service year, are not taught relevant skills of lucrative vocational trades, just as the skills acquisition and training centres are grossly inadequate.

Aside the 2011 post-election mayhem, several corps members have been killed extra-judicially by trigger-happy cops and men of other security agencies. Scores also met their untimely death during violent ethno-religious bloodlettings.

Furthermore, the scheme, in recent times, has been battling financial challenges, which has resulted in many graduates spending more than a year after graduating before they are finally mobilized for service. The sordid developments notwithstanding, NYSC has come to stay.

To this end, it is high time government restructures the programme, not only as a means of mobilizing our teeming youths into agriculture (through the farm settlement scheme), but to reshape their mindset about white-collar jobs been the most reliable means of getting quick wealth.

• Abdulsalam Mahmud, Abuja