NYSC@50: A NEED FOR REFORM
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NYSC@50: A NEED FOR REFORM
By:
Nurudeen Dauda
To start with, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a compulsory scheme for graduates of universities and polytechnics of not above 30years of age as at the time of graduation. It was created on May 22,1973 at a time when the country’s peaceful co-existence was "fragile" after the 30 months old civil war (1967-1970) which led to "distrust", "immobility", "grief", "anger" and "bitterness" across Nigeria. The scheme has so many objectives, but its primary objective is to facilitate national unity .
However, fifty years after there are three categories of Nigerians with different opinions on scheme; namely: (1) Those who want it "scraps", (2) Those who want it to be "optional", and (3) Those who want a "reform" in order to face the modern day challenges. In addition to the scheme's primary objective of facilitating national unity I belong to those who seek for its reform towards tackling our modern day problem of graduates unemployment.
Graduates unemployment is on the rise in our dear country due to the fact that about 300,000 graduates from NYSC are on annual basis being added to the already "saturated" labour market. It is sad to note that a greater number of our "graduates" and their "parents" consider government "job" as the only "real" job.
However, it is high time we tell ourselves the "bitter truth" that nowhere in the world that government gives job to every citizen. The government is supposed to be the enabler, but unfortunately our successive governments must be told the "naked truth" that they have failed" as governments for their inabilities to create enabling environment for self-reliance and private sector driven jobs to the people. For us to get it right, the government must be alive to its responsibility.
According to Mr Li Yizhong China's Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMSEs), formed the bulk of the country's private investors, play an important role in employment. It SMSEs exceeded 40 million in number accounting for more than 99.6% of the total number of it enterprises and contributing to about 58.5 percent of GDP, 50 percent of tax revenues, 68 percent of exports and 75 percent of new jobs every year. In Turkey SMEs account for 79 percent of jobs. In November 2015 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs ) constituted 99.8% of total number of enterprises in Turkey.
Although, there are a lot of initiatives associated with the scheme aims at solving the problems of graduates unemployment; such as: (1) NYSC's Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, (2) Tertiary Institutions Entrepreneurship Scheme (TIES). An initiative targeted at empowering graduates of Nigerian Polytechnics and Universities with entrepreneurial skills for Entrepreneurship development, Economic development and Job creation, (3) Bank of Industry (BoI) intrest-free loan scheme for members of NYSC under its Graduate Entrepreneurship Fund (GEF) programme, (4) NYSC Foundation a Non-Governmental, Non-Political, Non-Profit and Private Sector-driven Organization, founded by former corps members provides soft loans to entrepreneurs who are both ex and serving corps members , and (5) commercial banks loan for Entrepreneurship Development etc.
In my observation, the aforementioned initiatives seem not be working effectively and efficiently. For us to get it right, the scheme should be reformed in a manner that it will genuinely tackle the problem of graduates unemployment in Nigeria by strengthen the above- mentioned initiatives and involving many more realistic initiatives.
In my thought, the best thing to do is that we must device a "strategy" that will "change" our national "psyche" from the endless search for non existent government "jobs" to embracing self-reliance. The National Orientation Agency and other relevant government agencies must embark on national orientation programs that will change the perception of Nigerian youth in order to move away from their continuous anticipation of non-existent government jobs.
However, permit me to say, most corps members have issues with NYSC kits (the white shorts and T-shirts)especially the females ones. Many women on camp both married and unmarried muslims and christians are not comfortable with the kits.The corps' dress code on camp neither conform with Islam nor Christianity which are our two dominant religions in the country. On the 10th of November, 2019 two christian ladies were dismissed from Ebonyi state's NYSC's orientation Camp over their refusal to dress according to its dress code on camp for which the ladies argued was against their religious beliefs .
Another issue is the "special privilege" given to married women which allows them to undergo their service year where their husbands reside. Married muslims corps members as it were find it very difficult to enjoy this privilege due to the fact that, Islam does not permit married muslims women to change their fathers' names to their husbands' names after marriages.Since muslims women bear their fathers' and not their husbands' names even after marriages they are not recognize as married women . It is on this note that I call for review in order to address the problem that our wives and daughters face.
The scheme is still very usefulness of the following:(1) The bulk of the adhoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of elections at both national and state levels; (2) NYSC members filled in the shortages of teachers in secondary schools, polytechnics and colleges of education;(3) NYSC members who are doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, etc fill in the shortages or lack of medical personnel in rural hospitals and (4) NYSC members mobilize funds for community projects in rural
areas etc.
Our dear servicing corps members are facing the following problems that need to be addressed: (1) Poor welfare; (2) Security concern; (3) lack Health insurance; (4) Accomodations problem; (5) Life after service etc.
Long live NYSC!
May God bless Nigeria!
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