Opinion
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| By Ebongabasi Ekpe-Juda |
THE indications emerging from National Youth Service Corps scheme of the Federal Government is disquieting, disheartening and disturbing to say the least. In the last five years or so, we have witnessed a lot of untoward things happenings with the programme. Some graduands have had to wait for one year, in some cases more than that, before they are mobilized to serve their fatherland in a programme the Federal Government made compulsory for all Nigerians under the age of thirty who are fresh graduates of all tertiary institutions both home and abroad, before they can be qualified for employment in the public and private sector. During this period of waiting, nobody is interested in the welfare and wellbeing of these young graduates, not even the Government of their state of origin. The Federal Government behaves as if they are still in the school, even though they know that they are pinning away in hopelessness. Furthermore, that wasted year is not accounted for in their employment, nor is it compensated for by any person. By implication all the graduates will have their working years reduced by the exact time the spent waiting to be called up to serve. Some may therefore not work up the thirty five years allowable due that delay depending on their age at graduation. Some other can never be employed as Management Trainees, since most organisation limits that to twenty five years of age at entry point. Therefore, it follows that their disposable working time either in the public or civil service sector is shortened, not by any fault of theirs. This makes some people to really wonder if this country of ours really cares for her citizen. The delay experienced by these young boys and girls, is caused sometimes by the university themselves that take such a long time to complete the compilation and mobilize these students for the service, and most other time by the National Youth Service Corps itself, as they display lack of ability to accommodate all the aspiring corps members. In all of these cases, the children and their parents/guardian bear the burden.
Information has it that, the programme is no longer as opened to all graduating students as it used to be, as it is now to based on quota basis, but still compulsory all the same. The implication of this is that ten people could graduate in a class and some will definitely not be accommodated for the programme, because their “quota” is filled. By this, while some people will be denied the opportunity to participate in the programme and face the uncertain further of being a Nigerian youth at this time in our national history, others from other places will never suffer such faith. The immediate question and concern arising is, so what happens to those who are willing, qualified and ready to undergo the mandatory programme, but are denied participation as they cannot be accommodated in the quota? In answering this question, we must not forget the fact that the discharge certificate is a mandatory requirement for employment in government and most other establishments. So what is the fate of those not accommodated in the quota arrangement for the service? Who pays for the inconvenience of the delays? The parents who had expected, the child will soon be off his back, so they can face the other siblings or their life, are again faced with the additional responsibilities of catering for this grown but unable to take care of himself child. The Sociological problem that can confront such youthful and energetic individual can only be imagined. This situation has a myriad of attendant problems, which government should work to avoid at all cost, if we care for our citizens.
The act establishing the programme makes it mandatory for all graduates to participate in the programme or be officially exempted for being over the age of thirty years. Outside that they are not eligible for employment. Yet these people are for no fault of their own, tacitly excluded and therefore made unemployable by implication. Since these individuals are Nigerian and willing to undergo the programme and have made themselves available, but are not accommodated by the quota arrangement to be put in place, is it not possible for the Government to employ them on moral grounds, pending when they can go for the service so they can be useful to themselves and the society? Or will those not accommodated by the quota arrangement be officially exempted for them to be qualified for employment in Nigeria? Is this nation expecting them to wait, till “their kingdom come”? Now that the government is unable to continue with the programme, (because this is a signal of the unbearable stress confronting the once laudable programme), do we not think it would be better to do away with the programme officially or amend it to exclude a certain group, than subject and subjugate the citizens to the excruciating experience? There is nothing wrong if the government decides to make the programme optional rather than subjecting this young Nigerians to the uncertainty of the new situation.
I recall that when the programme started, graduates of Colleges of Education were included, but as it became too burdensome for the Federal Government to cope financially and logistically, NCE holders were excluded. Nobody died because of that decision, nor was the system rocked as a result of it. Now that obviously for financial reason, the Federal Government is not able to cope, would it be bad to also exclude HND holders from the programme, until the government decides to scrap it completely. I remember as the President, Nigerian Sociological and Anthropological Student’s Association, University of Maiduguri branch and National Vice President, in my opening address on the occasion of our “Sociology Week” (a yearly academic programme for intellectual discourse), I advocated that Nurses to be included in the programme. My argument was that it amounts to injustice for Nurses who are on grade level 07 just like the NCE holders, to be excluded from the programme, while NCE holders on the same grade level are made to participate. To me there was no moral justification for not including nurses in the programme as well. The counter argument was that they were trained by the various state governments, and not the Federal Government, who had the responsibility for the university students. I then said if they are not included, the NCE holders should be excluded for justice sake, as they were also not trained by the Federal Government who had the responsibilities for the undergraduates.
The reason for bringing in HND holders into the programme, was because they were on grade level 08 just like the degree holders, not minding who had the responsibilities for their education. Now that it is obvious that the Federal Government cannot cope with the financial burden of the programme, why can’t they begin a gradual process of winding down the programme by excluding HND holders first? It was for this same reason that NCE holders were excluded from the programme later. With time, it might become necessary to make the programme mandatory for graduates of federal universities alone, since their education is currently subsidized by the Federal Government, and they have enough graduate for the programme. If the state governments and private university operators want their students to participate in the programme, then they should take up the financial burden from the Federal Governments for their students. Aside any other thing, the students pay fees to them, and they are their responsibilities. However, during employment, the graduates from federal universities who must have undergo the programme, and those of state and private universities who would have participated in the programme (if any) should have their one year national service factored into their placement in employment grading accordingly and or in their promotion as well. This may lead to the situation that if you establish a university, you also set up an industry to take the graduates.
It will be very disheartening for a child to see his/her course mate proceed for the national service while they are told to wait because their quota has been filled. The next question will then be, how long will they wait for? How will the process of “quotaing” the prospective corps members be handled, that it will not open another avenue for fraudulent activities of monumental proportion. How do we determine the quota? What quota are you talking about? Is it village based, or clan, local Government, senatorial district or state consideration? Or is it to be based on the course of study? How do you get the quota, according to course of study, or what? In a village with only one graduate, how will the quota be determined and applied? I can’t just imagine how they will work out this quota thing for national youth service that will be fair to all concern. Is it he who finishes his project first or how is it to be worked out? Who is to determine the quota? Is it the department, faculty/college or the student’s affairs? How do we safeguard the “big” people taking all the slots? What will they do to ensure that the children of the peasant farmers and self made, indigent and impecunious students are not edged out for the children of the movers and shakers of the society? My honest advice is for the Federal Government to make the service available to university graduates alone, than talk about an unrealistic system fraught with malpractices. Let students from private and state universities be left out or like I opined above, the owners of those institutions that intend to send their students for the programme, take up the financial burden for their students. Let the Federal Government be bothered about their students, while others take care of their own. This is the time to start practicing true Federalism. Let whosoever opens a university; know that he/she has responsibilities for their product.
National Youth Service Corps programme has been bedeviled with too many, sometime intractable problems that I do not think it will have the capability to take on more troubles. Let the Government consider my suggestions above and workout, ways of not adding more troubles to the students and their parents/guardians. Let not the unfortunate acronym of Now Your Suffering Continues (NYSC) be visited on the children who we say are our future leaders. When this programme stated, it was considered laudable, but it has since out lived whatever made laudable. In my set, we came up with the pay off line for the programme, which was “We are all over the Country, building a United Nation”. We cannot say that of this programme currently. With the unfortunate events that have been visited on this programme, the programme is about losing whatever was left of it usefulness. The stipend given to these corps members is not enough to feed them. The last Director-General had screamed that many times before his tenure expired. The host or place of primary assignment do not have accommodation these days for the corps members, and do not care what happens to the corps members, so long as they get the free service rendered by the corps members. These children are exposed to the hassle or vagaries of looking for accommodation in a very strange and sometimes hostile community, whose incident is incidentally shifted to their parents. The merger allowance hardly ever gets paid as at when due. The feeding during the orientation camp programme is nothing to write home about any longer. The parade has since been reduced to mere march pass, that even passing out parade are seldom done. The corps members just go to collect their discharge certificate and the fun has since dried up. So what is left of this once laudable programme, that it cannot be scrapped? It is unfortunately now a shadow of its former self. Yet the government would want to pretend that all is well with the programme.
Ekpe-Juda is the author of the book – The Bewitched Church, who recently published a new book in cyber crime titled Issues in Security Awareness. He is a commentator on contemporary issues, and lives in Lagos. Email: helpinghandsworldwide@yahoo.com
— Nov 28, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT
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