‘Bunmi Ogunade
INTRODUCTION
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was established in May 1973 by the then Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, shortly after the Nigerian Civil War. The scheme was designed to foster unity, national cohesion, and development, especially among Nigerian youths.
However, with the current state of the nation, many Nigerians believe that the scheme has lost its relevance. Factors such as insecurity, poor infrastructure, high cost of living, and the alarming unemployment rate have weakened its foundation and blurred its original purpose.
WHEN SERVICE WAS TRULY NATIONAL:
Gone are the days when graduates looked forward to serving in other regions for the sake of adventure, exposure, and national integration—exactly as the founding fathers intended.
Today, the story is different. More than 70% of prospective corps members reportedly prefer to be posted to Lagos State, Rivers State and FCT regardless of their state of origin. The reasons are obvious: relative safety, better infrastructure, and greater employment opportunities after service.
The patriotic zeal that once defined NYSC has given way to self-preservation instincts, fuelled by insecurity and economic hardship across many states.
THE HARSH REALITIES OF THE SCHEME
To many young Nigerians, the NYSC has become a waste of time—a whole year of struggle in khaki uniforms, sustained by a paltry allowance that barely feeds them. Some have even redefined the service year as “Now Your Suffering Continues.”
The recent magnanimous increase of over 100% of the monthly allowance from ₦33,000 to ₦77,000 by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done little to change the narrative. Many corps members still lament over poor welfare, lack of accommodation, unpaid stipends by employers, and absence of meaningful job prospects.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
During my own service year in 1997/1998, when insecurity was far less rampant, I was posted to a Local Government in Jigawa State (Kirikasama, or so). Unfortunately, the local authority rejected all of us posted there.
After several failed attempts to find a placement, I sought help from a media correspondent who promised to assist me. Unfortunately, I never sawhim again because by divine intervention, an uncle in Ibadan helped me secure redeployment to Oyo State, where I eventually completed my service.
Sadly, I lost my stipends for the first three months due to the redeployment. Every effort to reclaim them proved abortive. And, as an orphan hoping to live on the meagre federal allowance, the experience was both harrowing and humbling.
ERODED OBJECTIVES
Without mincing words, the original objectives of the NYSC which include fostering national unity, promoting cultural integration, and developing the spirit of self-reliance among Nigerian youths, are gradually being eroded by harsh socio-economic realities.
What was once a noble national service programme has now become a symbol of frustration for many graduates who face uncertainty, insecurity, and economic despair.
THE GOOD SPOTS OF NYSC
To be fair, the NYSC cannot be said to be completely irrelevant. Over the years, it has served as a unifying force not only among Nigerian youths of diverse backgrounds but also among adults of different ethnic and religious affiliations.
Through NYSC postings, many corps members have built lifelong friendships, marriages, and professional connections across regional lines.
The Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme has also proved to be another positive innovation. It has empowered numerous corps members with vocational and entrepreneurial skills, helping some to become self-employed and job creators rather than job seekers.
In addition, NYSC has continued to provide young graduates with valuable work experience, especially in schools, hospitals, and rural communities where manpower shortages persist. Corps members often play crucial roles in education, healthcare, and community development. These are areas that might otherwise remain neglected.
THE NEED FOR URGENT REFORM
The need to sustain and enhance the relevance of the NYSC, reform is inevitable. The government must prioritize the safety and welfare of corps members by ensuring adequate security, fair remuneration, and a transparent deployment process.
The SAED initiative should be expanded and properly funded to provide real post-service support, such as start-up grants, business mentorship, and access to credit facilities. Posting should be based on needs assessment rather than favouritism or influence.
Without such reforms, the scheme risks becoming a relic and an expensive tradition with little impact on national development.
MY RADICAL PROPOSAL
Frantically speaking, the scheme appears to have outlived its usefulness in its present form. While it remains a pleasant adventure for some, it has become a nightmare for others. Worse still, it has turned into a money-making venture for individuals who enrich themselves through contracts for uniforms, orientation logistics, and posting manipulations.
Therefore, rather than continuing to spend vast resources on maintaining a flawed system, the government should restructure the scheme into a three-month intensive orientation programme.
During this period, corps members could receive military training and vocational/entrepreneurial skills, and afterwards be supported with ₦750,000 to ₦1,000,000 to start small-scale businesses.
This option would cost less than the current one-year service, reduce unemployment, and protect Nigerian youths from unnecessary exposure to danger, all in the name of national service.
CONCLUSION
The NYSC still holds immense potential as a tool for unity and youth empowerment, but it requires sincere commitment and political will to revamp it.
It will take genuine patriotism from the government, stakeholders, and corps members themselves to realign this 52-year-old programme with the realities of today’s Nigeria.
And, if implemented early enough, these reforms may gladden the hearts of the founding fathers of NYSC, especially General Gowon, while still alive. It is only then can the Scheme once again regain the lost glory of a beacon of hope, service, and unity for the Nigerian nation.
‘Bunmi Ogunade, an advocate of better education system for the youths, writes from Lagos.
