Featured, Politics
By Christabel Ejenike
THE National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, programme was established on May 22, 1973, by the former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon. It was created as a post-civil war initiative with the primary aim of promoting national unity. The other objectives of the programme include integration, reconciliation, reconstruction and provide opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire skills and experiences, promote self-reliance and entrepreneurship, foster patriotism and nationalism.
Ever since, the NYSC has been a mandatory one-year programme for Nigerian graduates. The programme is designed to expose young graduates to the realities of life in different parts of the country and equip them with skills and experiences that will be useful in their future careers.
During the service year, corpers are posted to various parts of the country, where they work in different sectors such as education, healthcare, and agriculture with a monthly stipend of ₦33,000 which may or may not be supplemented by wages that are most times not up to the country’s minimum wage.
However, every year, thousands of young Nigerians embark on the mandatory national programme, eager to serve their country and gain valuable life experiences. But, for many corps members, the excitement of serving the nation is quickly replaced by the harsh reality of struggling to find decent accommodation and catering for basic necessities.
From the bustling streets of Lagos to the tranquil towns of rural Nigeria, the struggle for accommodation is a nationwide problem that affects corps members from all walks of life. Many are forced to pay exorbitant rents for substandard living conditions, while others are left to fend for themselves in unfamiliar environments.
So, what are some of the challenges that Corp members face when searching for accommodation?
Most times these Corps members or prospective corps members are aware of what will befall them hence, they pray and some go to the extent of lobbying to get posted to familiar states where they have relatives so the weight of accommodation is waived. But sometimes luck doesn’t always smile on them and they find themselves in a strange land with nobody to rely on. This is where the NYSC programme is supposed to save them, but alas the duplicity of the system has rigged them.
According to the PPA letter issued to a Corps member to submit to their PPA, the PPA is meant to provide Corps Members with a modest accommodation or at least reasonable allowance per month in lieu as well as provide transport allowance for the corps members to and from the place of work or reasonable amount per month in lieu, however the reverse is the case in most situations as some corpers’ PPA could neither provide accommodation, transport or reasonable allowances for these needs.
Speaking on his experience, a Corps member, Ezeokoli Izuchuwu said that his Place of Primary Assignment, PPA, a radio station, does not provide him with a salary or accommodation. Fortunately, he was posted to a state where he has relatives and can stay with them. Izuchukwu also revealed that most PPAs in his state of assignment do not offer accommodation to corps members, leaving them to fend for themselves.”
Similarly, Nwanga David, shares his experience of searching for accommodation. “The first PPA I was posted to wasn’t paying and did not provide accommodation, so I went back with information to my Local Government Inspector and was reposted, to another PPA that pays only ₦10,000”. He also had to find an accommodation on his own which costs ₦100,000 for a year with water. Also another corps member, Onyekwe Frances, says that it was easy to find a good accommodation which costs her ₦280,000 which she paid for from her savings.
The annual allowance for a corps member is ₦396,000 and with accommodation of ₦100,000 leaves the corper with just ₦296,000, which is barely enough to cover for feeding, and transportation, yet these corps members are expected to serve diligently like the permanent staff, who enjoys full salary.
These corpers are cheated, duped by the system. Now workers with a university certificate working under the Federal or State Government are employed on grade level 8 or 9 as civil servants and are paid about ₦235,000 monthly.
Despite the poor remuneration of the corpers, they are not allowed to engage in any supplementary job and any meber caught is usually tried by the Corps Disciplinary Committee and, if found guilty, is liable on conviction to extension of service for a period not less than 21 days without pay.
This can have significant impact on corps members’ physical and mental well-being. Many are forced to sacrifice their health and safety in order to secure a place to live, leading to: increased stress levels; the pressure to find accommodation can be overwhelming, leading to increased stress levels and anxiety, poor living conditions; Corp members who settle for substandard accommodation are at risk of contracting diseases, reduced productivity; the struggle for accommodation can distract corps members from their primary duties, reducing their productivity and overall performance.
So what can be done to address the plight of corps members? The way forward to attain sustainable solution to this issue would be through implementing the laws of the NYSC programme and making sure that the employers follow the statutory responsibilities provided by the NYSC to the last and also sanction organisations who don’t follow these responsibilities, increased funding; the NYSC should allocate more funds to provide decent accommodation for corps members, Public-Private Partnerships; the NYSC can partner with private developers to provide affordable housing options for corps members.
The struggle for accommodation and survival is real and pressing issue that affects corps members across Nigeria. It’s time for the NYSC and other stakeholders to take action and provide decent accommodation options for these young Nigerians. By doing so, it can be ensured that they are able to serve their country with dignity and pride.
29th January, 2025.
C.E
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