The Bill to scrap the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) we learned, has reached second reading in the National Assembly in the floor of the House of Representatives. The Bill is being pursued by the lawmaker representing Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro federal constituency of Rivers state, Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante.
He listed various reasons undermining the visions of the NYSC finding father, General Yakubu Gowon.
Abiante argued that the youth scheme has led to the “incessant killing of innocent corps members in some parts of the country due to banditry, religious extremism and ethnic violence; incessant kidnapping of innocent corps members across the country.”
He went further to say public and private organisations, because of the cheap labour provided by Nigerian graduate youths, are no longer hiring able and professionally-trained employees, and these corps members are not well paid.
We really have to thank Hon. Abiante for his observation and advice. He speaks as a true patriot and father who cares for his children. But his arguments are like those of ordinary citizens who wants government to print money and share to every citizen without appreciating the economic and social effects of it. The idea is like constructing road bumps to punish all motorists because few drivers are breaking speed regulation laws, while agencies which are responsible for arresting the offenders turn the other face.
The National Youth Service Corps was established on May 22, 1973. It commenced operation during the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon under Decree No. 24 of 1973.
NYSC was established to reconcile and reintegrate Nigerians after the Nigerian civil war. And the “war” is still here with us, more fiercer than before.
This unpopular Bill should not be allowed to pass through second reading in the National Assembly. If the Bill is allowed to see the light of day, that would be a great disservice to all Nigerian youths who aspire to further their education. The NYSC uniform alone has inspired tens of thousands to acquire higher education. These people, ordinarily, would not have seen the four walls of school, yet struggled to the university level in order to wear the NYSC uniform. It is the dream of every Nigerian young person, male or female, to complete their education and go for national service.
The reasons adduced by the lawmaker look genuine in the periphery of the real matter. But Nigeria cannot, because of insecurity occasioned by insurgents, kidnappers and bandits, scrap the noble ideals of the national service.
To douse mutual suspicions among Nigerians due to ignorance of one another’s cultures, the visionary General Gowon established the NYSC so that the misconceptions about the ways of life of Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups could be understood by all Nigerians in every nook and cranny of the country.
Hon. Abiante’s advice is apparently benevolent, but we cannot afford to throw away the baby with the bath water. Such thinking may stem from patriotism and fatherly heart, but we cannot say, because insurgents, kidnappers and bandits are kidnapping and killing Nigerian students, we should discontinue secondary school education. Because soldiers are dying in frontlines, we must stop recruiting new personnel. Because motorcars are killing people all vehicles should be banned from plying our neighbourhood roads. Because your friend dies in a plane crash you will no longer fly in the air. Because your loved one drowned in the river, you will not drink water again.
It seems some of our law makers run short of ideas, but because they want to be linked to a long list of Bills they sponsor in the House no matter the malevolence of such bills, just to impress their constituencies, go for any trash. Why won’t our lawmakers observe sleepless nights over the ever rising army of jobless youths in the country, the menace which NYSC is trying to solve, particularly under Brig-General Shuaibu Ibrahim on the platform of skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development (SAED). Why won’t the honourable member sponsor a bill to make sure government empowers Nigerian graduates, each with one million naira as start up capital towards becoming self-dependent after school? And this is what NYSC is doing exactly now. The NYSC allowance is enough for business conscious graduates to set themselves up in a trade after the service. Through SAED, corps members become employers of labour instead of searching for non-existent jobs and waste a better part of their useful life in the harsh labour market.
Believe it or not, the scrapping of NYSC will increase the Nigerian unemployment and crime rates. Insecurity issues intended to solve will worsen. The inspiration to become a useful member of the society through education and national service will die. Cultural diffusions among Nigerians of different regions and ethnic groups will die. Then the mutual ignorance of cultural practices will set in and chaos will result in the polity.
Remember that inter-ethnic marriage which the NYSC encourages, has been able to douse tension between belligerent communities in the past. Before now, all people in the South, except the Yoruba, were regarded by ordinary northerners as Igbo, and Southeasterners saw all persons from the North as Hausa. But because of the benevolence of national service, people are better informed. They now know that Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups spread over the country.
If there is any time Nigeria needs the activities of corps members, it is now that agitations for ethnic republics are strife; now that Nigeria has been divided along ethnic and religious lines; now that unemployment rate is rising skywards.
All Nigerians should understand that despite the security challenges, the advantages of NYSC far outweigh its disadvantages.
Hon. Abiante should try to sponsor bills that can solve the insecurity and labour issues in the country. If we are to ban NYSC because of insecurity, we must also stop farmers from going to farm because of herders too; we must stop banks from operating in Nigeria because of ‘Yahoo Boys’ and their penchant for contract staff.
Let the lawmaker sponsor a bill to make sure no Nigerian enjoys income from more than two sources at the expense of his compatriots.
All federal legislators should, in the spirit of patriotism and loyalty to NYSC oath, throw away the bill. Most Nigerian students and their guardians whose interest Abiante is trying to protect, say NO to any legislation that will proscribe their darling national service. And the youths know better.
Uji, a public affairs commentator, writes from Abuja.
