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When we talk about the 2010s, it feels like only a few years ago but they’re actually not. I completed my National Youth Service Corps program in July 2015- exactly 5 years ago. It seems unreal but it’s no news that time has no brakes.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this anywhere before but I was initially posted to Oyo state in 2013, a year after I graduated. But for some reason, I didn’t see my name on the board at school so I had to wait an extra year. In 2014, I got to know about this and to be honest, I was deeply saddened by the fact that I was delayed the whole time for no good reason. In hindsight, I thank God Almighty for everything that seemed like a disappointment at the time because all things worked in my favor. That’s by the way though. I’ve shared details of my NYSC experience on my former blog and I will have it linked below for your perusal. Now, to the main gist.

Life As a Corps Member

Batch B, 2014 (Stream 2) aka “Ebola Corpers” was my batch. Things were quite unusual for us. Due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus in August 2014, we were posted to our place of primary assignments (PPA) before going to camp- something that had never happened since the inception of the program in 1973. I was posted to Federal Government Girls’ College, Ipetumodu, Osun State. A few acquaintances asked me if I had “worked” my posting and I didn’t understand what they meant because I didn’t (still don’t) know how such things were/are done. They couldn’t help but ask because getting posted to such an institution/establishment would likely mean that some strings had been pulled.

The school welcomed us warmly and I settled in nicely. I taught History and Christian Religious Knowledge. It was an interesting 10 months and frankly, I would have liked to continue. The federal government paid us a monthly allowance of ‎₦19,500 while the school topped it with ‎₦5,000- a total of ‎₦24,500. Going by all standards, this was poor. But we didn’t have a choice than to accept it.

The business minded ones among us started small businesses while others learned skills such as tailoring and fish farming because they barely went to work at their PPAs. Given my tight schedule at work, I felt that I couldn’t dedicate my time to something else so I made do with my allowance and spent my free time reading blogs and surfing the net. Thank God it eventually payed off.

After the completion of my service, I was left with a miserable bank account balance and a CV with barely a year’s worth of work experience. The NYSC scheme ejected us into a cold, harsh and unfriendly labor market. It took me 6 months after my passing out parade to get a job. For some, it was less, but for the majority, it was more.

The Relevance of NYSC

General Yakubu Gowon had good intentions at heart when he created this program in 1973. It was just right and seemed like a bold step in the right direction. I’ve heard stories and read books about how glorious and promising the program was in its early years but somewhere along the line, the Nigerian government lost it.

Ideally, after the completion of the 1 year mandatory service, the places of primary assignment are supposed to retain the corps members to at least boost their CVs and give them a stable source of income for another year. This time can be used to build the confidence and abilities of these young graduates. Instead, the reverse is the case. Some persons were even rejected by their PPAs upon posting. Others were accepted but with inhumane working conditions and exploitation, while the rest had nothing worthwhile to do at their PPAs.

From all indications, the federal government of Nigeria needs to be intentional about this program. The existing labor laws have to be reviewed and enforced to protect fresh graduates who pass through the NYSC program. The aims and objectives of the scheme also need to be revised. My year at Osun state was one of the best years of my life and it would have been better if the program actually cared about my future and that of my counterparts.

5 years later, I’m grateful for the experience- the people I met and the connections/relationships that were established. This is my experience and from all indication, it seemed fair but this isn’t the case for 70% (or more) of corps members in Nigeria. Some lost their lives due to road accidents, communal clashes, religious and ethnic violence in different parts of the country. Others simply endured the experience for the sake of the NYSC certificate.

Was your NYSC experience worthwhile? How were you treated at your Place of Primary Assignment(PPA)? Do you feel the objectives of the program have been entirely defeated and should be scrapped as a result? To those who are yet to serve, are you looking forward to the experience? The comment section is yours as usual. Let’s keep the conversation going.

I promised to drop the links of my detailed NYSC experience so you can read up here, here and here.

Welcome to August, my friends! I pray that all our plans for the month are executed successfully. We’ve made it this far and I believe that things can only get better. Have an awesome week ahead.