There are strong murmurs for the NYSC to be done away with.
The National Youth Service Corps was established in 1973.
General Yakubu Gowon in an attempt to work on the 3R
principles (Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation) created the NYSC
scheme under Decree no. 24. This was three years after the civil war.
REASON WHY THE NYSC SCHEME WAS CREATED
According to the Decree No.51 of June 16, 1993, the NYSC
scheme was set up to achieve these objectives:-
a. To inculcate discipline in Nigerian youths by instilling
in them a tradition of industry at work, and, of patriotic and loyal service to
Nigeria in any situation they may find themselves;
b. To raise the moral tone of the Nigerian youths by giving
them the opportunity to learn about higher ideals of national achievement,
social and cultural improvement;
c. To develop in the Nigerian youths the attitudes of mind,
acquired through shared experience and suitable training, which will make them
more amenable to mobilisation in the national interest;
d. To enable Nigerian youths acquire the spirit of self
reliance by encouraging them to develop skills for self employment;
e. To contribute to the accelerated growth of the national
economy;
f. To develop common ties among the Nigerian youths and
promote national unity and integration;
g. To remove prejudices, eliminate ignorance and confirm at
first hand the many similarities among Nigerians of all ethnic groups; and
h. To develop a sense of corporate existence and common
destiny of the people of Nigeria.
44 years after its establishment, there have been strong
murmurs for the NYSC to be scrapped especially from young Nigerians. It is
unlikely that the one-year mandatory service would be scrapped anytime soon as
the debate still rages on.
For those who want the NYSC to be gone, here are five
reasons why they feel it has no place in today’s Nigeria.Read Also: Zimbabwean Prostitutes Offer Free Sex To Mourners At Thief’s Funeral (Photos)
SEE REASONS WHY NIGERIANS WANT NYSC SCRAPPED
1. The NYSC has done nothing to accelerate the growth of the
Nigerian economy or contributed much to it. The economy is still reeling from a
recession and despite decades of its existence, there is no concrete data that
NYSC contributes to the economy in whatever shape or form.
2. The ghost of Biafra still haunts Nigeria. The unfortunate
rise of Nnamdi Kanu is a strong example that the NYSC has failed in its
objective to unite Nigerians. Boko Haram, Niger-Delta militants and Arewa
youths clearly show that Nigeria is far from united. Yes, inter-tribal
marriages exist but tribal prejudices are still very strong in Nigeria.
3. Young Nigerians don’t need the NYSC to be self-reliant.
Successive governments have ignored the youth by neglecting the educational
system. Young Nigerians have learnt to be self-reliant a long time ago without
the help of the government or NYSC.
4. A governmental scheme can’t
teach morals. This is up to the job of families. The family is the smallest but
strongest social group in a society. To fix morals in young people, you have to
fix Nigerian families. This is another clear cut example of the government
putting the cart before the horse. You learn morals when you are a child and
not as a young adult.
5. The NYSC scheme has been used to
create more teaching jobs. The unfortunate thing about this is that young
Nigerians who have been exposed to sub-standard teaching over the years impart
their half-baked learnings to children in dire need of a solid education. This
is a case of the blind leading the blind.
Spending one year in mandatory
service is outdated.
While our counterparts abroad start
to do positive things from an early age, the Nigerian youth is bugged down by a
horrible educational system and a mandatory one-year service to a country that
has done nothing for them.
What do you think about the NYSC
Programme – Do you want it Scrapped or Not?
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