NYSC AND CHALLENGES OF NIGERIAN YOUTHS
The national youth service corps was established by the military
government of General Yakubu Gowon on May 22, 1973 “with a view to the proper
encouragement and development of common ties among the youth of Nigeria and the
promotion of national unity”. The scheme was therefore created in a bid to
reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the Nigerian civil war
ended in 1970.
Since its establishment, it is a culture in Nigeria that once a student
graduates from university (with a degree) or a polythenic (with Higher National
Diploma, HND) is sent to a state in Nigeria to serve the Nation for one year.
The aim of establishing this scheme is to unite Nigeria. Has the aim been
met? Over the past 41 years of its establishment, I can say NO! Why? Because
several youths carrying out the NYSC program have been killed in the regions
they were sent to due to religious violence, ethnic violence and political
violence. Series of bomb and other violent attacks, especially in the North and
some other towns and villages have led to the death of corps members. In
previous attack, the Nigerian president (Goodluck Jonathan) presented a sum of
# 5 million to families of those who lost their lives at the blast. Can money
bring back the lives of sons and daughters of the affected families? He also
promised to give jobs to other affected corps members after their service year.
All of these promises have been in vain. A lot of parents have forbidden their
child to go to some states for service, because they don’t want their child
dead. Then, where is the unity? Why do Federal government refused to stop the
scheme? Do their sons and daughters go to such dangerous places to serve?
The joy of every corps members and their families is to get a good job
after school, settle down and enjoy their hard labour, but with the negligence
of government, reverse is the case. After years of learning, corps members will
have to go and spend a mandatory one year, serving the nation that care less
for the security and well-being. Some have been posted to a very remote areas
for their PPA (place of primary assignment) where the #19,800 monthly allowance
cannot sustain them for a month. In many states, little or nothing is being
paid as allowance for corps members. After the mandatory service year, a lot of
corps members will have to go home and start their life all over again. This
connotes that the one year mandatory service is a total waste of time. Yet,
every four (4) months, approximately 100,000 Nigerian students are mobilize
nation-wide for this service.
The federal government keep spending billions of naira on this scheme
every year – the billions they refuse to establish companies and industries, in
other to create employment for corps members. Let us do some calculations to
see how F.G spends a huge amount on this programme.
In all 36 states
of the federation, approximately 2,500 corps members are posted to each state
and this is done 3 (three) times in a year (batch A, B and C), they are to
spend 3 weeks in an orientation camp. There are also NYSC officials, military
men, man-o-war, first aiders etc., who are used during the orientation camp for
3 weeks, they are about 500 in number. This means that in each state
orientation camp approximately 3000 people are there. The F.G. provides for
their feeding morning, afternoon and evening. If a single person spend #300
daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, therefore for 21 days (3 weeks), a
single person will spend #6300
A single
person = 300 × 21
= #6300
3000 people
will spend = 3000 × 6300
=
#18,900,000
In all 36
states = 18,900,000 ×
36
=
#680,400,000
This is the
amount spend on feeding in just a 3
weeks orientation camp. #680,400,000
Besides feeding,
there are allowances given to corps members during the orientation camp
(Transport allowance #1500, Bicycle allowance #1000 and Monthly allowance
#19,800), they are #22,300 per person in total. Therefore, total allowance
spend during the 3weeks orientation =
1 corps member =
#22,300
2500 corps
member (in a state) = 22,300 ×
2500
=
#55,750,000
In all 36
states = 55,750,000 ×
36
= 2,007,000,000
This is the
total amount spend on allowances for
a 3 weeks orientation camp. #2,007,000,000
Feeding +
Allowance during a 3 weeks orientation program =
#680,400,000 + #2,007,000,000
=
#2,687,400,000
Since the
orientation program comes up 3 times in a year, therefore all the total
expenditure for batch A, B and C spend by the federal government in a year = 2,687,400,000 × 3
= #8,062,200,000.
#8,062,200,000. Eight billion and sixty two
million, two hundred thousand naira. (Amount spend on orientation camp every
year)
Note: this calculation does not include the #19,800 monthly allowance that
will be paid for the 11 months in various PPA after the orientation camp.
3000 people was calculated for
feeding while 2500 people was calculated for allowance, this is because NYSC
officials, military men, man-o-war, first aiders etc. do not receive allowance,
they are salary earners.
You can imagine,
if such money is used every year to build industries or companies. Do you think
the rate of unemployed youth will be so high in the country?
What baffles me
is that, why are they spending such huge amount every year on youth service yet
it’s of little or no benefit for the nation and youths in general. Since
majority of youth go back home to parents and start their life’s all over again
looking for jobs!!!
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