The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was created after the Nigerian Civil War on the 22nd of May 1973 to promote national unity and promote better relationships among Nigerian youths from different tribes and religions. It is usually done after graduating from a tertiary institution. It is a compulsory program that must be done before you get a corporate or governmental job. In most cases, corps members are transferred to other states in Nigeria to serve the country for a year. In the new state, corps members are given a Place of Primary Assignment ( PPA ) which could be ministries, schools, organisations, and so on.
NYSC has been helpful in a few ways. Through NYSC, people’s misconceptions about certain tribes have been corrected. There are some stereotypes about certain tribes that other tribes believe, but when they go to the regions where those tribes are predominant, they will realise that these stereotypes are not always true. Also, very few people have been able to retain their jobs at their PPA after their service ended. Corps members gain work experience which they can add to their resume. Some people have lived and schooled in one state all their lives but NYSC makes people move to another state to gain new experiences and a new outlook on life and culture. It is through NYSC that some people learned that not all Northerners are Hausa and not everyone from South-South is Igbo.
NYSC also has its downsides. Corps members are not always protected. Most corps members are from another state. For some of them, it is their first time to travel to another state. Most corps members travel to the state they were posted to by road because it is cheap. Sometimes, these corps members get kidnapped. NYSC knows that these corps members will likely follow unsafe roads yet they won’t provide transport with security for these prospective corps members. If you are a corps member and you get kidnapped, you are on your own. This is sad and cruel but that is the reality right now in Nigeria. The NYSC handbook titled Security Awareness and Education Handbook for Corps Members and Staff, advises that “when travelling in high-risk roads such as Abuja -Kaduna, Abuja – Lokoja- Okene or Aba – Port Harcourt roads, then alert your family members, friends, and colleagues in order to have someone on hand to pay off the ransom that could be demanded’’. This is crazy. This is a pure nonchalant attitude towards people who want to serve the country. This quote shows you are on your own and NYSC won’t pay your ransom or intervene if you get kidnapped. Why is the government putting Nigerians at such risk? In August 2023, eight prospective corp members from Akwa-Ibom were kidnapped on their way to Sokoto state. In December 2023, 4 of them were released while the remaining 4 are still in captivity. They were kidnapped in Zamfara state. NYSC and the Zamfara state government didn’t even help them. The families of the victims, who were released in December, paid the ransom. The remaining 4 are languishing in the kidnappers’ den.
NYSC does not protect corps members during and after elections. During elections, corp members also work as INEC ad-hoc staff. In Nigeria, there is always violence during elections or after elections. Thugs may snatch the ballot boxes or harm the electorates, ad-hoc staff, and electoral officials. Sometimes, if the electorates are not satisfied with the results of the elections, they may harm the ad-hoc staff and electoral officials. For example, when Goodluck Jonathan was declared winner of the 2011 presidential election, violence erupted in some parts of the Northern region, and 10 corps members were killed. In Rivers state, Corper Dumebi Okonta who was an ad-hoc staff was killed during the 2016 Rivers state re-run election.
Also, sometimes, NYSC post corps members to areas that are not safe. In 2011, Borno state, Grace Ushang was raped and murdered by a group of men because they were offended that she wore trousers ( it was the NYSC khaki pant she wore). The men who did this are not imprisoned. Furthermore, Corpers’ lodges, in many cases, do not have security. So, corps members also experience insecurity and armed robbery.
I recommend that if the government does not want to scrap NYSC , they should stop posting prospective corps members outside their state of residence and they should assign them PPA in safe areas. Also, during and after elections, the government should provide enough security for the corps members and other ad-hoc staff because they bear the brunt of the electoral violence. Doing this will ensure their safety because people usually target them to harm them especially if their preferred candidates did not win. Furthermore, provide sufficient security for corps members in the corpers’ lodge. This will prevent armed robbery and kidnap. The Nigerian government and NYSC should provide transport that has enough security to protect corp members from bandits and kidnappers. For this transportation, corpers should be assigned specific dates to enter the transport. This transport should safely take them to the orientation camp safely. Nigeria is not safe at the moment. The government should try more to protect its citizens. If the government wants to scrap NYSC, they should replace NYSC with a skills acquisition and entrepreneurship program where people will be taught important skills through which they can earn a living. The unemployment rate is very high. These skills will enable them to earn a living and even create more employment opportunities for others.
NYSC was created to promote national unity. The Nigerian government may have had good intentions with NYSC but nowadays, Nigeria is not safe. If the corps member is kidnap, the government won’t send the army or police to rescue that corps member. So, the government should either provide more security for the corps member or stop transferring corp members to another state to serve or they should replace the NYSC program with a skills acquisition and entrepreneurship programme.
Ifeoma is an English graduate, and resides in Lagos. She can be reached through 09048294944
