NYSC – to be or not to be

For parents, these are not only salient questions, they are in a fix. From conception through crèche to graduation, few could boast that they have received anything from government at any tier for the upbringing of their children. Where then lies the moral right of the same government to demand a whole year of free […]

For parents, these are not only salient questions, they are in a fix. From conception through crèche to graduation, few could boast that they have received anything from government at any tier for the upbringing of their children. Where then lies the moral right of the same government to demand a whole year of free service to fatherland? It is equally true that for most parents, these youngsters are the crown of their suffering and difficult march through the road to becoming something. Many have simply sacrificed all to raise their kids and wards. Truth is, many of them are in their dying years, and they now look to these children for peaceful retirement. They have invested in the children and look forward to reaping their labour.

How does one then bring the report of their death and expect the banal explanation that they died in the course of serving the fatherland? Or how does a N5 million cheque and a photo with the President, or some other form of compensation augment for the phone calls, the ‘I love you’, the bright future that should serve as a comforting light for these people in their dying years?

In the midst of these sad events, Tsiga is looking for any cheering news that may lift the nation from its melancholy. Last week, in Kaduna, where some of the gruesome murders took place, Tsiga tried to cheer us by reporting his preparations for the mobilization of a record 98,000 corps members this year. We are supposed to shout Eureka and hit our chest for raising the banner of literacy that far. But how many of the hapless parents and guardians, who have no power to de-post their kids to less violent-prone areas, are cheering? Very few! Indeed, many would spend the next one year on their knees, praying for their children to return. Others would be hoping that NYSC would not mean – Now Your Suffering Continues as over 60% of graduated corps members would not find jobs.

We live in a society where nothing is guaranteed, yes, not even life but we all sleep and wake on the slim diet of hope that adversity would neither wake us at night or welcome us in the daytime. And for most parents, mobilizing children this year, Tsiga would not be able to spark the candle of hope. The only reasons why graduates still enlist for NYSC are basically three. For one, it is the euphoria of being cut off from the overbearing influence of conservative parents and the feeling of freedom it engenders. For others, it is the only time to get something from that irresponsibly amorphous entity called government and give parents a little break. But for many, this is an opportunity to take a little from their meager allowances and help augment the standard of living while giving something to struggling siblings and, or parents. For a select few, they are doing this because the law says they are not employable except discharged or exempted. Those who pass through this as a precursor to employment are hoping for miracles.

Tsiga wants all tiers of government to help quarantine corps members as a panacea to the security challenge that being a corps member poses, but history shows that an isolated community is an easy target for pogrom. There is no place in Nigeria where corps members constitute a significant enough numbers to be able to withstand the onslaught of a mob. It would therefore seem logical that what is needed is mobilization of communities to accept these youngsters as part of the community. This can be done using the stick and carrot game; an amendment to the NYSC Act stipulating strong penalties for communities that harm them. This may include heavy fines, but other things such as closing down schools and other social amenities in areas hostile to corps members and even relocation of headquarters or status of a village, town or city.

For instance, the relocation of a headquarters from an area where a corps member is killed in addition to the closure of government presence is enough disincentive to marauding mobsters. Of course, this does not exclude extant penal sanctions. The idea is to let organizations, communities and employers know that they will pay dearly for gnawing at the base of a country’s unity and the NYSC is an enviable cornerstone of national integration. Of course, this does not detract from a referendum on how best to make the scheme work for the nation, including the suggestion of full military training for these graduates as envisaged in some quarters.

Quarantining them into one hostel is a defeatist and escapist idea. By now, we should have prominent persons within societies where corps members are posted accepting and integrating these people into their midst at no extra cost. They stand to learn the culture of the corps members and vice versa while benefiting from their rich educational background. We should look at things that integrate our nation and severely punish people who try to scatter us. We should keep the NYSC for its laudable objectives, but we should revisit its legal basis.