The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) used to be a thing of pride, but its glory appears to be fading with discipline, which used to be the bedrock of the scheme, gradually eroding as corps members conduct themselves in a regettable manner healthcare works in Nigeria. ELEOJO IDACHABA and John Oba examine the factors responsible.
It used to be a thing of great pride for university graduates and their counterparts from the Polytechnic and Colleges of Education to proceed on one year compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), especially given the opportunity provided by the scheme for corps members to serve in foreign communities and also adorn the ‘prestigious’ NYSC uniform. This military-styled uniform sets corps members from other members of the public.
Similarly, corps members are expected to spend, the first three weeks or there about of the service year, at the NYSC camps in the 36 states and FCT, where they are prepared for the task ahead, after which they are deployed to their various places of primary assignments.
Life in NYSC camps are regimented and marked by discipline and demand for strict adherence to camp rules, though camp life is also spiced with social and religious activities that make the stay in camp enjoyable.
During the period of primary assignment, the rule stipulates that, at least, once a week, corps member must be part of Community Development Service (CDS) and are expected to turn up in the complete NYSC uniform.
Similarly, whenever any corps member has anything to do in the NYSC Liaison or State offices, such a corps member are also expected must appear in complete NYSC uniform.
Surprisingly, in recent times, these rules appear to be observed in breach by corps members.
It is common sight to see is corps members dressed in different combinations and colour riot even on CDS days raising question about enforcement of discipline on the part of NYSC officials.
While some appear in mufti, others simply use the branded NYSC face caps to identify themselves, even as others are seen adorning the crested vest, usually on different colours of trousers, often jeans trousers, most of the corps members appear in foot wears of different colours. The situation has become so bad that some are even seen wearing knock-about slippers as part of their gear, all contrary to NYSC rules.
Inquiries by Blueprint Weekend on some CDS centres located in Abuja indicate that not only do corps members flout the order, some of them brazenly complain about the texture, and to a large extent, the quality of the materials that prevents them from wearing the uniform.
Checks by Blueprint Weekend also indicated that the indiscipline and laxity begin from the NYSC camp. A case in point is the celebrated Nigeria Singer, Davido, 26, who was one of the 2,152 corps members of Batch ‘B’ Stream II sworn-in at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Ipaja, as a part of the 2018/2019 service year.
He, however, failed to fully observe the mandatory three-week orientation programme, even as he was reported to have broken the Camp rules from the get go.
The singer was reported to have arrived the camp, chauffeur driven in a conspicuously white car amidst fanfare and jubilation by his fellow corps members and officials. This is contrary to Rule 15 (i) and (ii) of the NYSC camp rules which states, “Any member who brings vehicles or motorcycles to camp shall not be registered, and if already registered, shall be decamped. Such member shall only be allowed to return to service to join the next batch in the orientation camp.”
Similarly, excerpts from the NYSC bye-laws revised in 1993 give strict rules for corps members during the orientation period.
According to Schedule 1:3b: “During the period of orientation, every member shall:
(i) Attend regularly, punctually and participate fully in all official engagements on the field, at lecture and all places of work;
(ii) Not leave the Orientation Camp or absent himself from any official activity without the written consent of the State Director or his representative;
(iii) When absent from his duties on account of illness ensure that such absence is covered by an “Excuse Duty Certificate” issued by a medical doctor then on duty at the camp.”
It also states penalties for leaving the camp without the permission of the State Director.
Also, Schedule 2:1b states that:
“The following penalties shall be imposed in the following circumstances.
“Leaving the camp without permission of the State Director” will attract “extension of the service year by double the number of days for which the member was absent from his camp and forfeiture of his allowance for the same number of days of which he was absent.”
However, the social media as well as the conventional media had been awash with reports that the singer had reportedly jetted out to Boston, United States, during the NYSC camp period, for his sold out ‘Locked Up’ concert.
Davido also performed at opening day of Jay-Z’s Made In America Festival the same weekend in Philadelphia, U.S.
His action had elicited mixed reactions, with groups and individuals calling for him to be decamped having broken several NYSC rules. Following public outcry was said to have received a query from the NYSC headquarters in Abuja for violating its rules.
He was accused of absconding from camp during the orientation exercise. Davido was reportedly dismissed from the NYSC for breaking many rules during the three-week orientation exercise.
Serving corps members have also been reported to be involved in misconducts and crimes. Recently, a 29-year-old member of the NYSC, Odedele Feranmi, who allegedly killed a 16-year-old boy with his car, was on brought before an Osogbo Magistrates’ Court. Feranmi, is facing a two-count change of reckless driving and manslaughter.
The Police Prosecutor, Joshua Oladoye, told the court that the accused drove his Honda car with registration number Lagos, MUS 187 CU in a reckless manner and caused the death of a 16-year-old boy, Olasunkanmi Pelumi, on January 4, 2019.
Similarly, a Batch A corps member and her counterpart from Batch C were recently caught on camera fighting during the weekly CDS in Ekiti state, following arguments over seniority.
According to reports, batch A and B corps members in the local government have been demanding respect from batch C corps members on the grounds that they are their junior and ought to show them respect. This demand for respect has reportedly led to various fights in the past.
Speaking to Blueprint Weekend, an Abuja based Legal Practitioner said that, “NYSC has lost its attraction, basically because of the failure of the officials to enforce discipline. If erring corps members are punished for going against NYSC rules then others would take a cue. However, since many of them are getting away with breaking the rules it would only serve to encourage more to follow suit.”
Ex corps experiences
An ex corps member, Cynthia Amana, who spoke with Blueprint Weekend said that during her service year in Kwara state, she was aghast at the behaviour of some of her colleagues, who brazenly refused to wear the NYSC uniforms because they considered the materials to be inferior. According to her, “It started right from the orientation camp. A particular lady, who claimed she finished from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, had the temerity to decline wearing the uniform for parade citing inferior texture of the materials and poor sowing. So, she never joined the parade until we passed out.”
Speaking further, Cynthia who now works with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said, “During our weekly CDS, it was the same issue. Many would prefer to attend in colour riot with complains that their uniforms were torn, especially ladies. Most times, the CDS coordinators had no choice but to allow them to stay with a warning not to appear in mufti.”
Lovina Abam, who finished from the University of Calabar, told our correspondent that, “Honestly, one needs endurance to wear those uniforms. I really cannot explain how I passed out of the camp without reprimand because as at the time I resumed at the NYSC Camp in Kubwa, the good uniforms were exhausted.
“An emergency arrangement was made for some of us to get the uniforms right there on camp. It’s either the trousers are over-sized or the jacket is under-sized. The only thing that fitted me was the crested vest. Even the canvass was over sized such that I could not even walk freely. While going for my CDS at a garden in Zone 2, I had to combine several other wears with my crested vest,” she said.
“How can I buy NYSC uniform before I wear it,” asked Ebuka Onyia, who completed his service year recently. He said, “because my uniform got torn and had to attend my CDS in private wears, a staff of the corps whose name I can’t even remember now told me to buy a new set of uniform as replacement for the torn ones. I told him I will not after all, the allowances were not regular and so where would I get money to purchase a new set of kits for what I will wear once a week,” he queried.
However, another corps member, who served in the 2017 Batch A Stream II, Francis Chukwu, said that it was unheard of in his CDS group for a corps member to dress in anything other than the approved NYSC uniform to the weekly CDS.
According to him, his CDS officer was very particular about appearance and once refused to sign his CDS attendance register for something as trivial as wearing black shoes to the meeting.
“My jungle booth was dirty and I did not have white sneakers, which usually serves as an alternative, I had to wear another pair of shoes to CDS even though I knew that my CDS officer was very strict and would deny me signing the attendance if she notices my shoes.
“She had been harassing others about their appearance. When it got to my turn, she observed my black shoes and told me to go away. No amount of pleading or explanation could placate her. Even the intervention of the leader of the CDS group, who was my very good friend, could not change her stance, so I had to leave. She wanted to turn the incident to something else, so I had to respect myself and leave before my monthly allowance would be affected.”
Similarly, Cynthia Oko, who served in the 2017 Batch B Stream II, said that she nearly didn’t receive her allowance for a month because of a confrontation she had with her CDS officer over her dressing.
According to her, the material she was given during her registration was not of good quality and she had to make a new set of uniform but the colour was slightly off.
She advised the NYSC management to improve the quality of the uniform they issue to corps members as some of the uniforms do not last for the duration of the service year. Cynthia maintained that, “If nothing is done to address the issue, it won’t be long before the ideals of the corps begins to crash before our eyes.”
Dress code must be respected, NYSC insists
Speaking with NYSC Director, Press and Public Relations, Mrs Adeniyi Adenike, said the scheme is not an undisciplined scheme as any infractions from corps members will receive appropriate measures in accordance to the NYSC bye-law.
Like any other organisation, NYSC is a disciplined organisation, all Corps members are expected to dress according to required code and also behave in line with the tenant of the scheme, but any corps member that flouts these rules will be serve appropriate discipline.
Similarly, the NYSC, FCT Coordinator, Mr Ballama Bello Birniwa, explained in a telephone interview with our correspondent that the scheme does not condone wrong dressing from corps members and corps members who default are dealt with in accordance with the NYSC Bye-law.
“Our rules on dress code applies to all corps members just like in the military, because ethics is ethics anywhere and uniform is uniform. So, as it is applicable to the military, so it is with the scheme. So, rules apply on dressing because we have our own,” he said.
He said that corps members that have their orientation in the FCT are known to always dress properly because they are trained during the orientation exercise, pointing that most of those who don’t dress properly are on redeployment.
Speaking on the actions the scheme in the FCT is taking to enforce discipline, Ballama said that the leadership of the scheme has been given authority to seize any uniform that is not that of the scheme.
“Today, I was at Zone 3 ,where we have the largest concentration of corps members, quickly they noticed my presence when I started collecting items they wore that are not NYSC uniform.
“I started with those putting on face caps, no matter the colour; so far it is different from the NYSC face cap. Then I went on to those who shaped their trousers, some did not only shape the trousers, they went further to add rubber at the end making it to be tight like the musicians.
“There were those with head gears and those with the plain vests that had inscriptions on it were all seized. If you come into my waiting room now, you will see over 20 trousers that I have seized.”
The coordinator further stated that, “… there are trousers that are more of Army uniform than that of the NYSC uniform. Recently, we had a corps member who was on relocation from Edo state wearing Army trousers. She was sighted by an Army General in charge of quality control at the Abuja Airport.
“And we asked her during investigation of the uniform given to her and she said it was bad. I told her that she should have put that on because that was the uniform given to her, no matter how tattered it was. We traced the trousers to as far as where she bought it.
“That is why I have been speaking to my field officers, CDS and Biometric officers to seize any of such found on any corps member, though this has to be methodical because we can’t stripe them in the middle of the street, but what we do is to collect their ID card and instruct them to go home and wear the correct uniform given to them and they must bring the fake uniform. This is to avoid them using it elsewhere.
“We tell the corps members that they must respect the dress code. We are fighting and also ensuring that there is no molestation or insult but that the wrong dress they are putting on should be seized.”
Ballama stressed that, “We have been doing our best, though dressing is not limited to what they put on, but their hair do is also applies too. The problem is a societal problem.”
