The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a paramilitary scheme established by law on 22nd May 1973 after the Nigerian Civil War with the sole motive of strengthening and restructuring the Nigerian State as well as creating a greater solidarity among the members of the country.
The scheme is compulsory for every Nigerian graduate whose age falls between eighteen (18) to thirty (30) years irrespective of the country in which the university or polytechnic he/she attended is situated, provided it is a recognized institution.
Youth corps members can be defined as a group of Nigerian youths that are being mobilized to serve the country in their respective capacities having successfully completed their degree or higher diploma programmes in any recognized higher citadel of learning across the globe.
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It’s noteworthy that the National Youth Service Programme is divided into three major segments namely; the Orientation Camping, the Place of Primary Assignment (PPA), and the Community Development Service (CDS) respectively.
The Orientation Camping, which is a core paramilitary training, enables the corps members to be physically and mentally prepared to face their subsequent endeavours. The PPA segment, which creates a platform for them to be posted to various establishments in respect of their respective qualifications, is an avenue for them to practice whatever they have learnt during their school days.
Whilst, the CDS section is designed to ensure that each of the corps members, either individually or collectively, contribute his or her quota towards the development of their host communities.
In recent years, many pressing issues have been raised regarding the real essence of mobilizing fresh Nigerian graduates under the aegis of the NYSC. The outpouring enquiries or questions from the general public were not unconnected with their quest towards ascertaining the actual socio-economic significance of the scheme.
Indeed, the most distinct feature of the NYSC scheme, which has to do with deploying the fresh graduates or the prospective corps members to states or zones they may have not been before, remains the major recipe that has enabled the scheme to genuinely contribute its quota to Nigeria’s economic platform.
For instance, considering electoral matters, a corps member who hails from Sokoto State and is being deployed to serve in Anambra State stands to be neutral if being assigned to function as an ad-hoc Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official in any locality in Anambra State because he/she would barely know any of the aspirants or contestants or would in no way be a relative to any of them.
The above narrative would no doubt create an avenue for a transparent voting system at the polls since the corps member would have no personal interest in regard to the election(s) in question.
Furthermore, the recent introduction of the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) training in the NYSC scheme is simply not unlike placing a round peg in a round hole. The SAED programme was founded to enable the corps members to be well informed and orientated on the importance of entrepreneurship as well as equip them with the required skills towards the establishment of vocational outfits of their choice.
Since the invention of the platform, most Nigerian graduates who had successfully completed their NYSC programmes have been opportune to become self-employed or better still employers of labour in various fields of endeavour.
On the other hand, the role of the NYSC scheme in job creation cannot be overemphasized. Apparently, the scheme has enabled thousands of unemployed Nigerians to be gainfully employed, thereby making them financially independent or useful in their various families.
It suffices to say that the scheme has not only helped in creating a greater solidarity among the Nigerian youth as its aim implies, but has also succeeded in uplifting the socio-economic and political platform of the country.
Since the NYSC scheme has proven beyond any reasonable doubt that it is indeed a worthwhile scenario, there is need for the crusade regarding its sustenance to be intensified. Against this backdrop, it is worthy to note that reviewing some of its prime challenges is long overdue.
Currently, the corps members are being paid the sum of #32,000. Considering the present economic situation in the country coupled with the fact that most of these corps members are not provided with accommodation spaces by their places of primary assignment, there is an urgent need for the government to review the said allowance with a view of increasing the amount in question for the interest of the corps members, their various families, and Nigeria at large.
It is so pathetic to observe that most of these corps members are still being catered for by their respective parents or guardians due to the inability of their monthly allowances to properly take care of them, especially the female ones that are considered to be more demanding owing to their natural needs.
In view of this, the government should not hesitate to embark on an onward review of the said stipend that is presently causing several of our learned youths more harm than good, which could make them a nuisance to their various societies.
Also, the members of the legislature ought to as a matter of urgency endeavour to sign the anticipated new allowance into law as soon as the bill is made available to them by the executive arm.
On their part, the civil society groups must help to ensure that the suggested measure is considered seriously by the various arms of government. The relevant authorities must be continually reminded to do the needful.
Similarly, the SAED initiative needs to equally be reviewed for onward restructure. The essence of the technically-driven scheme must be intensified, having observed that the personnel meant to protect the initiative have on the contrary ended up abusing it.
Most importantly, every concerned stakeholder ought to acknowledge the fact that the proposed or anticipated reform is long overdue, therefore should not be taken for granted.