NYSC Experience so far...

As I held my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) call up letter in my hand, I wondered what it would be like to finally go for youth service. Looking back at all that I have been through in school including the gruelsome one whole year I had to wait to be finally mobilized for youth service, I wondered if the wait was worth it. As a graduate in Nigeria, if you don’t serve, you will definitely find it hard to get job. So it is as important as your university degree itself. The National Youth Service Corps is a mandatory one year program in which graduates from different schools serve the nation for one year in a place where they will be posted. They say its voluntary but it is what we call optionally compulsory. The government has made it such that if you don’t go for service, you may not be able to find a job because every potential employer will require you to present your discharge certificate; a certificate given to you at the end of your one year service.

For the umpteenth time I glanced through my call-up letter allowing myself to savor this taste of victory over the undergraduate life I had lived for the past one year after my finally exams. I made my way out of the student affairs office of our school into the office surroundings and walked past the gate of the set of offices that served as the administrative blocks, trying desperately not to over display the joy that is ripping through my soul. Over and over again I muttered under my breath ‘thank God! So this thing is over’.

And then... I moved on to another phase.

After three weeks of camp it was time for us to pass out and go into the world. A lot of us wanted to be posted to better towns to serve, where we would have amenities like power supply, banks with ATMs, hospitals, GSM network etc. In fact most of us wanted to be posted to Abeokuta which was the capital city in Ogun state, though time and time again we were told in camp that accommodation in Abeokuta is difficult, but nobody cared about that, when we get there we will sort that out. On the day of passing out, we all received our posting letter, while some were screaming with joy that they were posted to Abeokuta. Others were quietly consoling themselves because they were posted to some place they have never heard of. This time around, direct buses were provided. Each local government Corp members were posted to, has a bus with former Corp members calling out the destination. I was posted to Yewa-South local government in Ogun state, that shattered my Abeokuta dream, but I had to accept my fate and face it.

The camp was an extraordinary beehive that day. I picked up my posting letter, said goodbye to some of the friends I made in camp, promising I will call them and left in search of my bus. I went in search of the bus going to my destination, found it and hopped in. Before long all the corps members posted to my local government came and we boarded the bus and departed. A lot of us were disgruntled; some were crying (truth be told, I was among the "some" that cried) all because we don’t know what awaits us at Yewa-South. Basically, all of us in that bus, except for the older corps members serving there had never been there. So the older Corp members had to do most of the comforting and encouragement all the way to the town.

At my PPA (Place of Primary Assignment), corp members are (most of the time) treated with disrespect that is quite unbelievable. Although, the villagers appreciates us (as about 95% of the teachers in the secondary school are youth Corp members) and go out of their way to make us feel wanted. We don’t pay for water, although sometimes we have to bother about security, and the rates we pay for accommodation are ridiculously cheap even though my landlady literally swindled me. The villagers took us in, and while the location is "almost" remote, the attention and goodwill we receive significantly make up for the fact that we are far from family and friends.

Their attitude comes with a catch. We are expected to be role models to the community, and at all times serve as a source of inspiration to them. It is not always the easiest thing to do, and the burden of responsibility, mentorship and leadership gets heavier every day, but remembering that the eyes of a 13-year old girl are on you helps put things in perspective. The knowledge that you can shape or wreck a life can put a lot of pressure on you, but it also helps keep you focused.

My PPA isn't encouraging at all. My proprietor is a kind of person that possesses the natural restriction on perception caused by the simple fact that he can only see the world from his perspective- Egocentric! He has NO sense of welfarism, he derives pleasure in pointing out people's flaws, he operates an autocratic form of ruling (of course, its his school), addresses Corp members like his grandchildren and enjoys nagging.

All these can still be tolerated (speaking for myself though) but the one which infuriates me most is not getting paid at the appropriate time. It takes commitment to carry out one's expected duties diligently and putting in my very best. After being forced to take subjects out of my scope of study, wait for extra lessons, making me close at 4pm, I still have to fight to get PAID!!! *sigh*

With all these, my employer still expects me to carry out a selfless service. Forgetting that his employee(s) needs to be motivated. It doesn't necessarily have to be in form of money but there is this Yoruba addage that says "ku ishe ni Ogun m'oriya". Which literally means, well done is a form of motivation. 

I lost my zeal along the way. I'm thinking its even somewhere out there stranded. Lol. All the plans I had in me, in my head- to affect lives and be a tool of change has found its way to tell me "Toyin, look, no one will see all these as a contribution. They will only tag you as an alaseju". Pls don't crucify me, I'm just being a Nigerian. What is the essence of the mandatory one year service if one cannot be a tool of change, if one cannot have impact on lives? Oh! The N19,800 allowance for popcorn and groundout is.

"If the salt loses its taste, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot,” says the holy book. This brings to the fore the knotty question of the viability or otherwise of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, scheme as it stands today. Has it lost its saltiness? Does it still serve the purpose for which it was introduced by the initiators of the scheme several years ago? A peep into the historical background of the scheme will suffice in our assessment of the journey so far for the NYSC.

In line with the three-point agenda of General Yakubu Gowon in the immediate aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War, the idea of a scheme that would see to the reunification and soothing of the wounds of both the ‘vanquished and the victor’ was hatched by the administration. Thus, on May 22, 1973, the NYSC scheme was established with the promulgation of Decree No.24, “with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity”. This was further elaborated upon in 1993 to look beyond the immediate present and to think of the future leadership of the country, which necessitated the mobilization of certain categories of our youths through the NYSC scheme. This was done so as to give them the proper guidance and orientation relevant to the needs of the country. Hence, the National Youth Service Corps Decree No.24 was repealed and replaced by Decree 51 of June 16, 1993.

Furthermore, and most importantly, the purpose of the scheme is primarily to inculcate in Nigerian youths the spirit of selfless service to the community, and to emphasize the spirit of oneness and brotherhood of all Nigerians, irrespective of cultural or social background. The history of the country since independence has clearly indicated the need for unity amongst all its peoples and demonstrated that no cultural or geographical entity can exist in isolation.

All these ideals were succinctly spelt out in Decree 51 of 1993, as follows: “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; 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; to develop in the Nigerian youths the attitudes of mind, acquired through shared experience and suitable training, which will make them more amenable to mobilization in the national interest; to enable Nigerian youths acquire the spirit of self-reliance by encouraging them to develop skills for self-employment; to contribute to the accelerated growth of the national economy; to develop common ties among the Nigerian youths and promote national unity and integration; to remove prejudices, eliminate ignorance and confirm at firsthand the many similarities among Nigerians of all ethnic groups; and to develop a sense of corporate existence and common destiny of the people of Nigeria.”

To achieve these objectives, the decree recommended as follows: “The equitable distribution of members of the service corps and the effective utilisation of their skills in area of national needs; that as far as possible, youths are assigned to jobs in states other than their states of origin; that such group of youths assigned to work together is as representative of Nigeria as far as possible; that the Nigerian youths are exposed to the modes of living of the people in different parts of Nigeria; that the Nigerian youths are encouraged to eschew religious intolerance by accommodating religious differences; that members of the service corps are encouraged to seek at the end of their one year national service, career employment all over Nigeria, thus promoting the free movement of labour; and finally, that employers are induced partly through their experience with members of the service corps to employ more readily and on a permanent basis, qualified Nigerians, irrespective of their states of origin.”

Can we look back today and say that these initial lofty dreams by the proponents of this scheme are still in place? The answer will definitely be in the negative, sustaining the view that the salt (NYSC scheme) may have lost its saltiness owing to several factors that is not limited to the present security situation in the country.

Looking back at the years gone by, the NYSC programme connoted a full year of selfless service and suffering though, due to the policy of dragging youths from their home zone to completely new terrains and cultures with only stipends for sustenance; yet most graduating students looked forward to the programme with glee and pride, not necessarily because it was mandatory and a primary prerequisite for securing any government appointment as a graduate, but because the experience was most rewarding to the individual and the country at large. It never mattered so much where one was posted and corps members were treated with dignity by host communities and organizations. All these are now in the past. Graduating students now lobby and pay huge chunk of money in order to be posted to their choice areas, leading to the overcrowding of certain areas to the detriment of the others. This has also become business for NYSC officials who would feel great loss if the scheme is eventually proscribed.

The reality on ground now is that the seemingly intractable insecurity situation in the country, especially in many parts of northern Nigeria, the uncertainty of even securing a job outside one’s zone after the service year, among many other anomalies associated with the NYSC scheme, are now threatening the foundations of this laudable scheme. Corps members are now endangered species, prone to greater dangers like violent deaths through bomb blasts, mob attacks or gunmen’s onslaught and gang rape (for the female ones).

Well... (to be continued).

Nigerian Government And The Youths

Getting a proper education now is being rich and if Nigeria is not concerned about literacy then she is not concerned about her future image. The educational status of this country seems to be falling while we are laughing and dancing away the time. Surrounding African countries are advancing in areas of technology while we teach theories in our universities and discourage the practicality in our technical institutions, we laugh at our foolishness and drink the best imported wines ever to be made, also jesting at the Igbo man’s ability instead of investing in people, we invest in material wealth we lack the foresight that we might die unremembered even when we were rich.

The constitution should make up for youths, a country which does not support or consider the ideas of the youths is only but a useless one. Children, teenagers and young adults opinions should matter, they should also able to advise government on issues that involves them (not some rich man’s kid but children picked from different backgrounds).

Some Youth Corp members died while serving their fatherland and there was nothing to commemorate them! Nobody except those who know them remember their names, it should not all be about money... HONOUR!

A program was on the television for some period of time, it was called the “Dragon’s Den” it was for youths with business ideas and innovations, there were so many ideas but the anchors were not business owners themselves so how would they have recognized a good business deal when they see one, all they did was display how well they could speak the English words. The vibrant part of our economy is wasting away in another man’s land; while our leaders have not yet asked themselves questions of what they have not done right that the youths are in desperate need of, a Nigerian youth would not mind staying in prison overseas instead of his fatherland.

They claim to be re-structuring the economy but the face of the economy we all see seems to be beautiful on their own side while on our side it looks ugly and fire-beaten. They keep up the talk on improving the life of the citizenry but what we see them accumulating are houses and properties while wasting away our resources. “Nigerians should learn to help themselves; they should learn to cope without the help of the government” says some unreasonable individuals. How can they cope without access to basic amenities? What makes them comfortable in another country- regular supply of power and water, accommodation, security of lives and properties as well as job security, a well schemed educational plan among the rest of them.

How can Nigerian youths be rescued from prostitution/aristo, internet frauds, armed robbery and other illegal acts? These are supposed to be discussed on a round table with the youth minister, concerned individuals, corporate bodies, all that are concerned on youth matters in the country and the youths themselves.Youths should not be wasted away on the table of politics, their education, moral values and conducts should not be tampered with.

OBAMA, everybody in the world is motivated and wants to be like him, but can you do what he is done for his country, ever before he became the president? Even though the system only supported him at the last stage of his vision he never gave up, he is celebrated all over the news, tabloids web pages, books and write ups such as this. He has made history as a leader who would not deny his people anything he thinks is best for them and they are ready to go with his judgment on matters that concern them!

How many Nigerians can die for their country? Some have but I don’t think there are any more, even those that died are not recorded or celebrated. Are they in the honor book of the country do we know or remember their names?

Until NIGERIA learns to respect and add values to lives

Until NIGERIA appreciates selflessness and not self centeredness

Until NIGERIANS love themselves as brothers and sisters and share their pains together

Until WE learn to fight together and not for ourselves and our families alone, but for the sake of the coming generation.

Every leader in Nigeria must learn to respect values and be different from past thieves/leaders that we have had, this nation can learn from fallen heroes who were not perfect but tried their best like Awolowo, Azikwe, Balewa, Ige among the rest ,those who despite their struggles believed in people who became part of today’s selfish leaders. The leaders we have today are results of people who have suffered for Nigerians by offering them free education with a taxes– reduced economy and the basic amenities.

Hypermarkets as I refer to them are not meant strictly for the rich everybody has a right to a beautiful and serene environment, thanks to the Lagos state government who has realized that and other leaders should emulate the leadership.

Nigerian youths must not become today’s leaders who aspire positions and stand no chance to be defeated, they practice politicking in masks and even force themselves into power of which they have no proper plans in positions which they eventually find themselves.

Nigeria cannot boast of energy that can last the whole day all over the country, she lacks industries such as textile making industry and she allows the importation of fairly used clothes more than imaginable, her citizens eats rice like birds but she cannot produce rice that can feed her population and she has refused to develop in terms of infrastructures.

There should be urgency in research of energy, possibly wind, bio-fuel among the rest; Nigerian elites should come down of their high-horse-big-party-only–me future and help the people called poor around them. Community development should be encouraged in the real sense and not faked because we seem to have so many unrealistic NGOs without goals and the common man’s environment out of which the now-elite evolved from should be developed, sanitation exercise has to be enforced again while those found lacking in the care of the environment should be arrested.

Conclusively government should set her priorities right, seek advice from the people she is governing so as not to make decisions that will not work, she should concentrate on job provision, energy generation and not-too-far economic development strategies.

SACRIFICING OUR ENVIRONMENT FOR THE LAW!: Burning Of Confiscated Items By JTF, NAFDAC, NDLEA and Nigerian Customs

It is now common practice for officers of the JTF (Joint Task Force), NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control), NDLEA (National Drug Law Enforcement Agency) and Nigerian Customs to set fire to items confiscated on suspicion of having been obtained through pipeline vandalisation/bunkering, uncertified/substandard production, prohibited trafficking or smuggling. Probably, for the sake of transparency, the burning of those items is done in public, with wide media coverage. Many regard the officers involved as gallant patriots (which they ordinarily are), in view of their seeming resolve to “follow orders” in ensuring that the Law is obeyed. However, it behoves of the enlightened mind to attempt a critical analysis of the situation. 

Indiscriminate burning of diesel and petrol, which constitute much of the items seized from suspected oil thieves, releases carbon gases into the atmosphere, causing Environmental Pollution. Smoke from burning pharmaceutical and other complex chemicals which are the active ingredients in suspected substandard products seized by NAFDAC and psychotropic materials like Indian hemp or Marijuana, impounded by NDLEA, tyres, electronics, poultry and other goods seized by Nigerian Customs, releases hazardous substances into the Nigerian Atmosphere. Scientific Research shows that CFC’s (Chlorofluorocarbons), Carbon-IV-oxide, lead and other Green-House Gases that make up those hazardous substances are responsible for the depletion of the Earth’s Ozone Layer. The results, which are not farfetched, include irregular rainfall patterns, flooding, heat waves, devastating increasing weather temperatures, pandemics, acid rain. Nigeria has received its fair share of those Environmental Hazards in recent times.

Spokesperson for the JTF was heard on National TV stressing that they have received express order from relevant authority to promptly burn illegal refinery plants, vehicles, drums,, barges and other items suspected to have  been used by oil thieves. In other words, government has indirectly ordered this “official onslaught” on the Nigerian Environment. This, with the greatest respect, is unconstitutional and unreasonable, against the background of modern trends in both the international arena and scientific development.

Section 20 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended)   , admonishes the government to protect the country’s Environment. Similar obligation exists under several international documents to which Nigeria is a signatory like the African Charter 1979, Vienna Convention 1985, Montreal Protocol 1987 and Kyoto Protocol 1997. Indiscriminate burning of confiscated items obviously contravenes the provisions of the Constitution, International Law and Nigerian Environmental Laws e.g. NESREA Act and Guidelines. Besides, the validity of any purported order as above given to the JTF and others is in question, because under section 1(3) of the Constitution, any Law which is contrary to the provisions of the Constitution is void (assuming such order was Law). The big question therefore is SHOULD WE SACRIFICE OUR ENVIRONMENT AT THE ALTER OF ENFORCEMENT OF LAW AND ORDER? The ready answer is No, because, our existence, both as individuals and as a nation, depends on the Sustenance of our Environment.

Proper methods for disposing of confiscated items abound. It must be noted that confiscated items or goods do not automatically become waste. “Waste”, according to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is “something that is not or no longer useful and is to be thrown away or disposed of”. Confiscated diesel and petrol should be tested by appropriate authority and if found okay, used by the government or auctioned to members of the public, while money realized is credited into public account. This will also discourage scampering for such fuel by residents of areas close to seized illegal refineries and fuel laden trucks, especially as memories of Jesse fire incident and similar incidents are still fresh. Seized poultry certified fit for human consumption and used clothing or tyres likewise certified could be auctioned or used for charity. Unfit poultry and Indian hemp should be sterilized and used for making organic or Compost manure. Seized vehicles should be auctioned or converted to use by the government. This will stop the growing size of dumpsites where seized vehicles and other items are burnt by the JTF and others in the prosecution of the war against oil theft, smuggling and drug trafficking. Whatever cannot be disposed of in the methods described above, becomes waste, items like chemicals and non-degradable plastics, should be incinerated. Incineration is a controlled burning process used in advanced countries like the UK and Germany. Metallic wastes can be recycled to improve our local steel industry.

Meanwhile, government should send a bill to the National Assembly for the enactment of a law to provide for the proper procedure for disposing of confiscated goods , incorporating the foregoing suggestions and other Best Available Practices. The call is hereby made for Environmental Interest Groups, NGO’s and other public-spirited individuals to intensify efforts aimed at ensuring that the Sustenance of our Environment is not sacrificed on that alter of enforcement of Law and Order. Let us not forget that NO ENVIRONMENT, NO LAW!