National Youth Service Corps (Nigeria)
In the aftermath of Nigeria's civil war, the Gowon military government pursued several policies to reunite the country. One of those was the National Youth Service Corps.University graduates were enrolled in NYSC and assigned to work in the national interest somewhere away from their home areas. The first part of NYSC service is still an almost-military type boot camp, and university graduates still have to have a certificate of service in NYSC in order to be hired for jobs.
Thirty-five years later, the program, according to the colourful language of Roseline Okere, Joe Adiorho, and Felix Ugwuoke, writing in The Guardian (Lagos), is in need of rethinking, reforming, and rebuilding. Organizations and businesses to which NYSC participants are assigned have been rejecting some assignees. NYSC participants have also been asking organizations to reject them. And, like most big programs, bureaucratic problems are common.
Given the political culture, civil society, economics, and politics of Nigeria, what reforms would your students suggest?
(Thanks to the blogger at Grandiose Parlor for referring me to this article.)
NYSC scheme: A nation's emerging nightmare
"The process has commenced and the debate is on. Apparently worried by the reports of the rejection of corps members by the organizations they were posted for their primary assignments, the House of Representative has put machinery in motion to review the law establishing the scheme.
"Thirty years after, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC ) scheme has joined some of the other lofty programmes that have metamorphosed into nightmares for Nigerian youths. Not only are the monthly allowances not realistically indexed to the realities of today's living, securing a slot for primary assignments has equally become a tall dream.
"The scheme, established in 1973 by the then military regime of General Yakubu Gowon, was scripted to mobilise Nigerian youths graduating from tertiary institutions for national development through sustained mobility of middle level manpower, promotion of social integration and national unity, among others.
"Essentially, the scheme has, over the years, provided succor for university and polytechnic graduates, most of whom could have otherwise experienced immediate pangs of joblessness on graduation, due to current dwindling prospects in the nation's labour market...
"Director of the Lagos Business School, Prof. Pat Utomi, described the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme as moribund, saying the scheme does not serve the present needs of the country...
" Utomi argued that the scheme as it currently operates has lost its importance, as it does not take cognizance of the manpower and industrial development of the country and urged the federal government to overhaul it...
"A Lagos-based legal practitioner, Goddy Uwazuruike regretted that the sheme has lost focus.
"He explained that the aim of NYSC was for the Nigerian graduates to know their country, feel patriotic about their country and provide cheap labour for other areas and so on. 'You must go outside that area you are familiar with. And when you get to that place, you are posted to where your best could be maximized. For instance, if you are a medical doctor, you would be posted to local areas where your services are urgently needed...
"'Virtually, most intending corps members want to serve in Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt and any other city and no corps member wants to serve in the rural area because they believe there is no light, no water, no accommodation and the possible attack of armed robbers. So, with this trend, the purpose for which the scheme was introduced is gradually being defeated,' he lamented.
"He blamed the problem on the government which he said has not done enough to better the lots of corps members in terms of allowances it pays to corps members which he described as pittance...
"'A situation where a corps member who studied History is serving in banks whereas those who studied Account are serving in schools as teachers what type of madness?' he declared.
"'For goodness sake, corps members should be posted to places that have relationship with their course of study.'..."
See also:
- National Youth Service Corps
- When I moved back to Nigeria... , a blog by a young woman who returned to Nigeria after earning a university degree in the U.S. and is now enrolled in the NYSC. (Her photo from training below.)
Labels: Nigeria, political integration, socialization
posted by Ken Wedding @ 7:13 AM
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