NYSC: Service Or Sacrifice

Alot has been said openly about the relevance or otherwise of the NYSC in Nigeria today. Being an average open-minded guyman residing in Nigeria, I also have my own opinion about the scheme. Most people believe the scheme has lost its relevance and agitate for the scrapping of the program. Some other 'well-meaning' citizens have also insisted the scheme should be left untouched as it, like every other thing in life, has its pros and cons. Again, a respectable perspective.

Tertiary education is fraught with adventures and misadventures, depending on the institution where you were trained. Ultimately, the ecstasy of finally bagging a Bachelors degree is an experience every Nigerian youth should experience, not mandatorily however. After that comes the National Youth Service Corps, one year of a 'pseudo-military' conscription. General Gowon thought it wise at the time to aid national reintegration, after the devastating Civil War. Thus, the scheme was born in 1973 and has since become an eagerly anticipated ritual for Nigerian tertiary graduates.

Nigeria is a big country, literally and figuratively. The tribes and people are as numerous as the skin coverings of a chameleon. The religious creeds are however basically Christianity and Islam, with the different geopolitical zones belonging to either, neither or both of the two faiths. Attempting to reintegrate 250 tribes and ethnic groups is not only noble, but also an assiduous task and one must commend Gowon for treading the path. Till date however it seems there has not been any significant progress in achieving this Herculean task. Nigerians remain ethnocentric and overtly tribal in their dealings and thinking. It is thus safe to assume that the nation needs more than a mandatory one year NYSC program for its tertiary graduates to achieve any iota of national reintegration. I say 'reintegration' because I want to assume, albeit fictitiously, that there was an appreciable level of national integration in the pre-war era of Nigeria's existence.

NYSC is 39years old this year. That NYSC's developmental milestones have dwindled effortlessly and pathologically are really not in question. We all agree it has not achieved the aim of its creation. At 39years old, a man should have fathered at least a child in the absence of any morbidity and should be fending responsibly for a family unit. Deviants of this societal norm will be presumed to be either 'vagabonds' or voluntary eunuchs. So why then are we this lenient with a scheme that has receded in milestones like a mentally retarded human being?

Every year, the scheme gets fat allocations from government coffers, it hurriedly churns out unsuspecting and vulnerable 'otondos' and the cycle of vanity continues year in, year out. Service year was a good year for me, I however didn't have the 'luxury' of attempting to integrate with any other tribes, I served in my state of residence. However cowardly and shameful that sounds to you, I do not care. For my parents and I, it was a matter of 'Better safe than sorry' after a close family friend lost a son to the South-East part of Nigeria as he vanished during his NYSC. My mother would hear nothing of a posting outside where her hawk eyes could be on her priced fledgling. I however met very interesting people even though I remained in the cosmopolitan city of Lagos. Till date, one such fellow remains one of my most trusted and respected allies.

I am an advocate of social integration, I believe strongly that young people should meet new people and explore opportunities and adventures as much as they can. I am however not an advocate of wastage, especially of the lives of young budding Nigerians. The ethnic and political clime in the country has done everything but breed trust among the people of Nigeria. Trust is however an important, if not the most important, ingredient in cooking a pot of 'integration'. You can not be friends with a man or woman you do not trust, either partially or wholly. Corpers are killed during religious crisis in all parts of the country, they are even primary targets for these heinous attacks in some instances. Corpers travel long distances via Nigeria's state-of-the art road network and many have lost their lives needlessly and senselessly to fatal road traffic accidents. Just at the start of this year, 10 such Corpers lost their lives en-route Taraba from Imo State.

Last week, a close cousin of mine decided to register for the next batch of the scheme. She received her tertiary training abroad and since her pronouncement I have remained understandably jittery. My palpable apprehension was further fanned and fueled by the air crash of last weekend. Two corp members who were acquaintances with my friends were on board. A certain Kunbi Adebiyi, a foreign trained graduate came back home to do NYSC and today she's no more. There's also Iniobong, a young graduate from one of the privately operated universities in Nigeria. Note that I appreciate they could still have randomly been passengers on any ill-fated crash, I however still wonder if Kunbi would have been in Nigeria in the first place, if NYSC had not beckoned.

The scheme must  be reviewed, if not scrapped. In my view, the scheme should be open and flexible. I  believe we can serve the country without needlessly risking our lives. I believe every Nigerian graduate must serve his or her fatherland but he shouldn't die while at it when the nation's army isn't at war with any other nation. Like in my case, I served dutifully and successfully while my life was under very minimal threats, aside  some natural phenomenon. I met sound people from all parts of Nigeria, we remain good friends. However, Nigeria's integration remains at an all time low. Who then is deceiving who? I think the government should allow Corpers choose their postings. If you then have a death wish, divine direction or a genuine desire to 'integrate' with other ethnic groups then at least travelling there will be on your own volition.

NYSC has not achieved, is not achieving and will not achieve any significant progress in reintegrating Nigerians. It can be likened to trying to uproot out an Iroko tree whose gargantuan roots are at least 5 feet below the soil and digging the soil with bare hands. You are simply scratching the surface, the real issue remains alive, well and kicking.

Our fundamental problem as Nigerians is that of skewed ideologies. We need a reorientation in our minds, its entirely personal. Until we see ourselves as equal human beings first irrespective of tribe, color and creed, the NYSC can extend for 10years per Nigerian graduate, our story will eerily remain that of oil and water. Simply insoluble.We should also do away with the concept of 'State Of Origin' and start to be 'Nigerian', first, foremost and last before any other thing. I maintain that NYSC is not and will never be the panacea for ethnic and religious bigotry.

Young Nigerians should serve without sacrificing their lives.