THE National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme has come a long way in its 38 years' existence as an enduring platform for imparting citizenship and leadership values in thousands of enlisted youths. Regrettably, almost all corps members (and prospective ones) along with their parents/guardians are disillusioned about the scheme, owing to avoidable problems especially security of participants and official tardiness in operations. The challenges are threatening the scheme's lofty ideals and continued relevance in national life. The scheme needs a major re-evaluation to avoid collapse.The latest observation of a tottering institution comes from the Senate, which lamented mass rejection of corps members by federal establishments following which a resolution was adopted urging the Federal Government to 'ensure that the scheme is re-evaluated and reorganised to attain its original objectives.' Senate President David Mark's observation that the scheme has lost 'original intent' - as a vehicle to enthrone unity and a sense of oneness in the country - is a mere reflection of the general feeling across the nation.One particular area has lately been a sore point: inadequate security cover for serving members especially in the northern part of the country. That alone has naturally forced a rethink by parents to allow their children to be posted to crisis-prone areas. The attractions in NYSC scheme of a rewarding national service are long gone. But for its mandatory status, many corps members would have opted out of the scheme, which would be a blow to its potential for national unity and cross-cultural gains for the youths. The mass rejections are just a reflection of the dislocation in socio-economic indices in the country. A situation where corps members accept their postings without complaints (in spite of real fears for their safety and welfare) but are rejected by organisations, especially government departments and agencies, is condemnable.The NYSC scheme is a sound policy going haywire. Its entire process has been subverted. Other government projects have suffered policy somersaults, but the major setback of the NYSC scheme, principally targeted at graduates of tertiary institutions, is the apparent lack of renewed official initiatives to monitor and propel it.The scheme's relative failure is indirectly a failure of the state and/or governance. The laudable scheme is almost reduced to nothingness as the raw talents of corps members are being laid waste.Most times, the ordeal of participants starts from the less-than-acceptable standards at some orientation camps, followed by the mass rejection in places of primary assignments. Soon, the youths are thrown into confusion and are disoriented. The rejection marks the beginning of a year of real suffering for a fatherland that cares less. Many corps members, in anticipation of rejection and other problems, embark on desperate measures to change their postings. Those who are lucky to be attached are soon confronted by accommodation problems, and end up milling aimlessly around the NYSC offices. Inevitably, their situation serves as incentive to corruption and cutting of corners - much against the spirit of the scheme. Notwithstanding the problems that occasion rejection of corps members, ministries, government departments and agencies (MDAs) should not work to frustrate such a laudable scheme. They should bend over backwards to accommodate corps members, for instance through increased budget provisions.Despite its current low status, the NYSC remains an enduring institution that needs support, partly through a rejuvenated economic milieu, to encourage more private sector concerns to absorb the growing number of participants arising from the high number of new universities. It is unfortunate that employers are patently ill-equipped to absorb the upsurge of corps members, about 95,000 of who were recently called up, in two batches, to accommodate a backlog. If the present unpleasant situation continues, a systemic collapse is imminent.The idea of youths giving a part of their lives to compulsory national service - a post-war unification effort - is commendable. The Decree 24 of 1973 (as repealed and replaced by Decree 51 of 1993) that set up the NYSC envisages 'proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity.' The positive characteristic of national service is a reason other countries adopt it. Nigeria needs to study the scheme diligently to improve on its working and to derive maximum benefit from it.In the interim, pending an improvement in the economy and its absorbing capacity, the country must seek ways to return to the original purpose of the NYSC scheme. A redefinition of the roles of corps members should not be ruled out, for instance by integrating them into the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) programme, in which participants are sent outside the country for the service year. Also, governments at all levels should set up farm settlements across the country to engage the youths, their disciplines notwithstanding, and to boost food production and food security.There is need to retrain the trainers in the system, besides growing capacity to allow for expanded participation. For too long, the scheme has been handled in a predictable monotony. Above all, government must do all that is required to get the economy working again, to expand the working base of corps members and provide jobs for them on completion of service.
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