I started a series on Inflation and its effects last week but we have to take a pause to examine what is actually happening in the NYSC camps in Nigeria especially after the death of Ifedolapo and Udeme, corpers who lost their lives in the training camp in Kano and Zamfara States due to human negligence.
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Brief history of NYSC
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was created in a bid to reconcile, reconstruct and rebuild the country after the civil war. The Civil war lasted from 6th July, 1967 till 15th January, 1970. General Yakubu Gowon promulgated the NYSC decree 24 of 22nd May, 1973. It was stated that NYSC is being established with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity.
After Tertiary education, young Nigerians who are less than 30 years old 'serve' the country under the NYSC scheme. Community Development Service (CDS) is a major feature of the 1 year compulsory service, and I should quickly add that corpers are deployed to serve in areas different from the ones where they were born in or the ones where they schooled in.
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The main issue...
Tragic events have happened over the years that have made people question the relevance of NYSC. Nigeria covers an area of about 925000 km sq.(just for the records, this is really large!) and has 36 states + Federal Capital Territory. To serve the country, people are usually posted to geo-political zones which they probably have never been to or have no idea of what living there looks like.
One of the major tragic occurrences that has made people really question the relevance of NYSC is the fatal accidents on the roads while travelling from a zone to another. Last year, I know of 2 very promising youth corpers who lost their lives to fatal car accidents on Nigerian highways. These guys had already graduated from University for goodness sake! Imagine what their parents went through putting them through school, only to lose them to the wicked claws of death, no thanks to TERRIBLE Nigerian roads.
The second tragic occurrence I can recall was mainly political. We had an election in Nigeria, parties won and lost as the case is in normal democracy, and next thing we heard was that corpers were being killed all over the country. Again, Imagine what their parents went through putting them through school, only to lose them to unapologetic claws of death, no thanks to political instability.
The third occurrence, which is most painful is the death of corpers even right in the training camp due to lack of facilities human beings need for basic survival. I just heard 3 corpers are dead now! What is going on Nigeria? Can someone on the floor of the senate or house of rep do something about this? These deaths are majorly due to lack of good medical facilities. Ifedolapo had an ánaphylactic reaction and Udeme had diarrhoea. Does this mean the medical guys on ground could do nothing about this? This is disheartening
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Way forward...
We need an action plan....Nigerians what do we say, and how do we go about this? Has NYSC outlived its usefulness?
Go on, paste your comment and let's see how we can make something positive happen in the right direction. This is NO joke, this is serious business
Well, I think NYSC has outlived it's main objective. But on the second thought, things can still be corrected. One, Medical reports should be one of the necessary documents PCMs should be requested to submit while registering in camp. Two, any camp with no quality medical centre should be discarded until adequate medical facilities are provided. Three, professional doctors should be used and not student doctors. Four, I think graduates should be allowed to serve in the same geopolitical zone in which the school they finished from is located (e.g a graduate from FUTA should serve in any south western state and a graduate from Nsuka should serve in any eastern state), this is because graduates are already used to the climatic conditions of where they finished from which is better than changing their location from south to north thereby causing a type of imbalance in some people's system who in turn might find it difficult to adapt. Lastly, a petition should be written and signed by Nigerian youths stating clearly what we want from NYSC and should be passed to relevant authorities.
ReplyDeleteNYSC shouldn't be cutting our destinies short after all the hard work and struggle to go through school.
I rest my case. #My Opinion.
Awesome Joshua. Great points up there. Noted and written out as key action points going forward. Thank you.
ReplyDeletePeople, let's keep the comments rolling in...
It's really disheartening to hear these news,Corps members in a bid to serving their Fatherland losing their lives.
ReplyDeleteI think the the scheme should be reviewed in terms of making place of primary assignment related to the Corps Member course of study. This will go a long way to motivate them in their service year and want to learn, develope and contribute to productivity and capacity building. For instance, imagine a mechanical engineering graduate like me was deployed to a primary school in the bid of serving my country. That can not in any way promote my productivity and capacity as a future leader of this country.
Also, the stakeholders of NYSC should look closely into the conditions of the orientation camps and make both medical (unlike the medical student doctors in the camps and few MDs.), environmental and welfare provisions for Corps members.
I wonder if the government stakeholders of NYSC do not ask for feedback on the scheme around the country. This will really improve the essence of the scheme and make it always a success.
Thanks. God bless.
NCM.
Hmmm...okay. PPAs related to corp member's course of study/passion, close examination of the conditions of training camps and yes, receiving feedback from the people that actually go through this scheme. Great stuff Michael. Thank you.
DeleteLet's keep the comments coming People...
"It was stated that NYSC is being established with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity." for this singular reason, is what makes me to still see the program as viable, someone like me, NYSC has given me the opportunity to travelled to the far North (Adamawa) and made me to have a better perspective of the Hausa's and the Fulani's. I made good friends and they are really friendly and lovely. Sure so many negative and discouraging things has ravaged the program of recent years. We can just suggest the way out has Simi requested; in my own perspective I think the government can improve the program by:
ReplyDelete1. Creating platform where prospective corp members (PCM) can be transported to their deployed state at a cheaper rate. This will reduce PCM’s death due to boarding transport by the roadside order than Motor Park. With priority to putting our national roads in place.
2. Health care at various camp center should be upgraded, and regard given to PCM’s with one ailment or the other (even minor headache).
3. The program should be reviewed to improve the graduands and not to demote them by sending Engineers to primary school. Let provision be made for every corp member to serve his fatherland in the area of his course of study. This will not just arouse the interest of graduates towards the program but also improve the nation by cut-tailing unemployment, and sharpening skills of corp members in establishing business.
4. If the existence of it (NYSC) is still paramount to today’s government (which I will advise that it should still be), then more money should be allocated for it in the annual budget to cater for the teeming graduates from all the numerous universities spread across the country considering also those that studied abroad and will come and engage in the exercise (NYSC). There should be nothing hindering NYSC board management from running minimum three batches every year to stop precious time of faithful citizens.
5. Provision of good personal protective equipment (PPE) such as life jacket for those posted to the riverine areas will reduce death of corp members who don’t know how to swim when the unplanned happen on the water. I can relate with the fear of water serving in riverine area where I would have to ply canoe to my PPA everyday with news of many corpers that have drown in the same water flying through my mind.
SCRAP NYSC NOW!!!
ReplyDelete