ON BILL TO SCRAP NYSC – A WELCOME DEVELOPMENT THAT SHOULD BE PROMPTLY PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW
May 28, 2021 | News
With recent reports that a bill seeking to repeal the NYSC Act, has been billed for the second reading in the House of Representatives, I must say it is a welcome development, considering the fact that this has been my agitations for the past two decades because as far as I am concerned, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has outlived its usefulness.
-By Zik Gbemre
ON BILL TO SCRAP NYSC – A WELCOME DEVELOPMENT THAT SHOULD BE PROMPTLY PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW
The NYSC Scheme has become outdated, irrelevant and has outlived its usefulness, hence, the lawmakers should quicken the process for it to be completely scrapped…
The NYSC Scheme, rather than being a unifying agent, is now a channel through which our sons and daughters are murdered, kidnapped for ransoms or lose their lives…
When something is no longer working, or is no longer achieving the purpose for which it was intended to achieve, then that thing should be done away with…
With recent reports that a bill seeking to repeal the NYSC Act, has been billed for the second reading in the House of Representatives, I must say it is a welcome development, considering the fact that this has been my agitations for the past two decades because as far as I am concerned, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has outlived its usefulness.
Part of the reasons I have always advocated for the NYSC program to be scrapped, was also noted by the sponsor of the said Bill, Mr. Awaji-Inombek Abiante, who, in the explanatory memorandum of the proposal, rolled out the various reasons the NYSC should be scrapped.
“This bill seeks to repeal Section 315(5)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended) on the following grounds: “Incessant killing of innocent corps members in some parts of the country due to banditry, religious extremism and ethnic violence; incessant kidnapping of innocent corps members across the country; “Public and private agencies/departments are no longer recruiting able and qualified Nigerian youths, thus relying heavily on the availability of corps members who are not being well remunerated and get discarded with impunity at the end of their service year without any hope of being gainfully employed; “Due to insecurity across the country, the National Youth Service Corps management now gives considerations to posting corps members to their geopolitical zone, thus defeating one of the objectives of setting up the service corps, i.e. developing common ties among the Nigerian youths and promote national unity and integration.”
In one of the write-ups, I wrote about this issue, I noted the fact that many young Nigerians have lost their lives over the years, and there is a possibility of many still going to lose their lives through the NYSC Scheme, which made me to wonder what our lawmakers are doing about this. But I am glad that they have finally decided to wake up on this issue. I believe that when something is no longer working or is no longer achieving the purpose for which it was intended to achieve, then that thing should be scrapped. The NYSC program does not bring about any sort of ‘Unity’ across Nigeria because ‘modern development and events over the years’ have practically overtaken its usefulness or relevance. As such, the NYSC program should be promptly scrapped.
If the NYSC Scheme is no more, our Nigerian young graduates will not be exposed to all kinds of risks that go with the obviously irrelevant NYSC Scheme, which could lead to their deaths. To make matters worse, the children of the poor Nigerian parents/Guardians usually come out after all the headaches they face during their NYSC year, to start riding Keke (commercial tricycles) to earn a living while others are seen working as unskilled casual labourers at sites of construction buildings. We can see that the Scheme is the height of insensitivity to the plight of the average Nigerian youth already traumatized by a poor but rigorous education system and who even face a bleak future in the labour market.
Besides the inability of NYSC to adequately cater for Corp members due to the high increase in their population and inadequate funds for the scheme, the Nigerian entity has grown beyond the need for us to still maintain the NYSC Scheme in the name of entrenching ‘national unity. Among other things, the Information Technology (IT) industry and the Social Network have to a large extent, united Nigerians amongst themselves and with the world.
With Nigerian graduates that are serving as NYSC members, becoming targets of kidnap and Boko Haram insurgents, many Nigerians are greatly worried that the NYSC Scheme, rather than being a unifying agent, is now a channel through which their children are murdered, kidnapped for ransoms or lose their lives due to sheer negligence in the Orientation Camps.
Aside from the identified problem above, the NYSC Scheme is also inflicted with the problems of mismanagement, corruption, ineptitude in functions, and lack of focus. It has been observed that during the three weeks NYSC Camp experience and paramilitary training, apart from the benefits of networking/inter-mingling with Corp members from different parts and background of the country; the feeding and accommodation in most NYSC CAMPS in the country is so pathetic and sorry sight to behold that one begins to wonder, are these ‘refugees’ or ‘graduates’ of higher institutions? This is also not a good condition for anyone to be in, especially with the Corona virus pandemic still out there. Then the most disturbing part of all is when Corp members are designated to their various ‘primary assignment areas’ where one is expected to serve his or her fatherland in one year. Apart from the fact that most Corp members are assigned to serve in schools, irrespective of what they have studied, there is the problem of getting ‘rejected’, particularly to those assigned to serve in companies, organizations, corporate bodies etc. The truth is that the ‘evolved problems’ of the whole NYSC Scheme are too numerous to elaborate on. All of which questions its relevance. The NYSC Scheme is now branded by undergraduates as – “Now Your Suffering Continues” (NYSC).
The crux of the matter is that the NYSC Scheme is outdated, obsolete, irrelevant, and has outlived its usefulness, hence, the lawmakers should quicken the process for it to be completely scrapped – that is the best possible solution. Our graduates do not deserve to be subjected or exposed to any sort of extortion, hardship, risks of their lives, or anything that would make their efforts to settle down in life more difficult than it is already.
Zik Gbemre.
May 28, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
-By Zik Gbemre
ON BILL TO SCRAP NYSC – A WELCOME DEVELOPMENT THAT SHOULD BE PROMPTLY PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW
The NYSC Scheme has become outdated, irrelevant and has outlived its usefulness, hence, the lawmakers should quicken the process for it to be completely scrapped…
The NYSC Scheme, rather than being a unifying agent, is now a channel through which our sons and daughters are murdered, kidnapped for ransoms or lose their lives…
When something is no longer working, or is no longer achieving the purpose for which it was intended to achieve, then that thing should be done away with…
With recent reports that a bill seeking to repeal the NYSC Act, has been billed for the second reading in the House of Representatives, I must say it is a welcome development, considering the fact that this has been my agitations for the past two decades because as far as I am concerned, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has outlived its usefulness.
Part of the reasons I have always advocated for the NYSC program to be scrapped, was also noted by the sponsor of the said Bill, Mr. Awaji-Inombek Abiante, who, in the explanatory memorandum of the proposal, rolled out the various reasons the NYSC should be scrapped.
“This bill seeks to repeal Section 315(5)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended) on the following grounds: “Incessant killing of innocent corps members in some parts of the country due to banditry, religious extremism and ethnic violence; incessant kidnapping of innocent corps members across the country; “Public and private agencies/departments are no longer recruiting able and qualified Nigerian youths, thus relying heavily on the availability of corps members who are not being well remunerated and get discarded with impunity at the end of their service year without any hope of being gainfully employed; “Due to insecurity across the country, the National Youth Service Corps management now gives considerations to posting corps members to their geopolitical zone, thus defeating one of the objectives of setting up the service corps, i.e. developing common ties among the Nigerian youths and promote national unity and integration.”
In one of the write-ups, I wrote about this issue, I noted the fact that many young Nigerians have lost their lives over the years, and there is a possibility of many still going to lose their lives through the NYSC Scheme, which made me to wonder what our lawmakers are doing about this. But I am glad that they have finally decided to wake up on this issue. I believe that when something is no longer working or is no longer achieving the purpose for which it was intended to achieve, then that thing should be scrapped. The NYSC program does not bring about any sort of ‘Unity’ across Nigeria because ‘modern development and events over the years’ have practically overtaken its usefulness or relevance. As such, the NYSC program should be promptly scrapped.
If the NYSC Scheme is no more, our Nigerian young graduates will not be exposed to all kinds of risks that go with the obviously irrelevant NYSC Scheme, which could lead to their deaths. To make matters worse, the children of the poor Nigerian parents/Guardians usually come out after all the headaches they face during their NYSC year, to start riding Keke (commercial tricycles) to earn a living while others are seen working as unskilled casual labourers at sites of construction buildings. We can see that the Scheme is the height of insensitivity to the plight of the average Nigerian youth already traumatized by a poor but rigorous education system and who even face a bleak future in the labour market.
Besides the inability of NYSC to adequately cater for Corp members due to the high increase in their population and inadequate funds for the scheme, the Nigerian entity has grown beyond the need for us to still maintain the NYSC Scheme in the name of entrenching ‘national unity. Among other things, the Information Technology (IT) industry and the Social Network have to a large extent, united Nigerians amongst themselves and with the world.
With Nigerian graduates that are serving as NYSC members, becoming targets of kidnap and Boko Haram insurgents, many Nigerians are greatly worried that the NYSC Scheme, rather than being a unifying agent, is now a channel through which their children are murdered, kidnapped for ransoms or lose their lives due to sheer negligence in the Orientation Camps.
Aside from the identified problem above, the NYSC Scheme is also inflicted with the problems of mismanagement, corruption, ineptitude in functions, and lack of focus. It has been observed that during the three weeks NYSC Camp experience and paramilitary training, apart from the benefits of networking/inter-mingling with Corp members from different parts and background of the country; the feeding and accommodation in most NYSC CAMPS in the country is so pathetic and sorry sight to behold that one begins to wonder, are these ‘refugees’ or ‘graduates’ of higher institutions? This is also not a good condition for anyone to be in, especially with the Corona virus pandemic still out there. Then the most disturbing part of all is when Corp members are designated to their various ‘primary assignment areas’ where one is expected to serve his or her fatherland in one year. Apart from the fact that most Corp members are assigned to serve in schools, irrespective of what they have studied, there is the problem of getting ‘rejected’, particularly to those assigned to serve in companies, organizations, corporate bodies etc. The truth is that the ‘evolved problems’ of the whole NYSC Scheme are too numerous to elaborate on. All of which questions its relevance. The NYSC Scheme is now branded by undergraduates as – “Now Your Suffering Continues” (NYSC).
The crux of the matter is that the NYSC Scheme is outdated, obsolete, irrelevant, and has outlived its usefulness, hence, the lawmakers should quicken the process for it to be completely scrapped – that is the best possible solution. Our graduates do not deserve to be subjected or exposed to any sort of extortion, hardship, risks of their lives, or anything that would make their efforts to settle down in life more difficult than it is already.
Zik Gbemre.
May 28, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes