By Patience Emeje
Historians recall that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was established to foster national unity.
They note that the military administration of Gen. Yakubu Gowon inaugurated the scheme in 1973 to address the major fallouts of the Nigeria’s civil war between 1967 and 1970.
They also admit that most Nigerians believe that the scheme can advance the unity of the country.
According to them, one of the major ideals of the scheme is ensuring mutual trust among Nigerians of diverse languages and cultures.
In their view, the scheme has promoted inter-ethnic marriages among young Nigerians among other achievements.
Stressing the importance of the scheme to national unity, former President Goodluck Jonathan once said in Abuja that Nigeria is “proud that NYSC remains a true symbol of national unity.
He observed that the scheme “brings together young people from various institutions and diverse parts of the country.
“The bond of friendship formed during the service year creates opportunities for success in life and facilitates national integration and development’’.
At a ceremony in Abuja to mark the passing-out of Batch `A’ 2013 corps members across the country, he acknowledged the roles of the scheme in promoting national integration and development since its inception more than 40 years ago.
But observers caution that the scheme could only sustain national cohesion if stakeholders pay attention to the values of the scheme.
They urge the stakeholders to mobilise Nigerian youths to be at the vanguard of nation building through mutual understanding of one another.
Appraising the scheme, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, said that NYSC had contributed immensely in keeping Nigeria peaceful, united and evenly developed.
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The sultan, while receiving the Batch `A’ corps members deployed to the state recently, said that the scheme had lived above board and proved its critics wrong.
He said that although the scheme had its challenges, it had over the years succeeded in fostering national unity.
Highlighting other ideals of the scheme, Gov. Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State, noted that NYSC had encouraged inter-marriages among other ethnic groups to promote national unity.
At the NYSC orientation camp in Keffi recently, the governor promised automatic employments for any 2015 Batch `A’ corps members that would get married to an indigene of the state.
In her view, Miss Arinola Alabi, a corps member, said that NYSC had given Nigerian graduates the opportunity to inter-marry by interacting with other Nigerians in any part of the country.
She observed that the scheme had taken Nigerian youths to various parts of the country to make new friends, experience different cultures and learn new languages, among others.
The achievements of the scheme notwithstanding, critics insist that NYSC has not lived up to the expectations of the public.
They observe that the scheme has received strong criticisms by some Nigerians because they feel has “done more harm than good.’’
According to them, there have been calls from some Nigerians for the review or eradication of the scheme, especially during the 2011 post-election violence that affected some corps members in some parts of the country.
In the light of this, an analyst, Mr Ogundana Rotimi, opined that majority of corps members would wish to serve in a state where they had security without language barrier.
He, nevertheless, said that the corps members’ preference to serve where they wish will make the scheme to lose touch with one of its intended goals of promoting national unity.
He noted that NYSC had helped some Nigerians to secure employments, particularly, the workers that the scheme employed.
“People that could have been jobless without the scheme now make a living from working with NYSC.
“Given the high level of employment in the country, the outright scrapping of the scheme could have negative effects on some Nigerians,’’ he observed.
Sharing similar sentiments, Mr Oluwatoyin Ajiboye, a lecturer at Kogi State University, Anyigba, said apart from promoting national unity, the scheme had made corps members responsible and resourceful through its mandatory Community Development Service.
“They give social enlightenment and health sensitisation to rural communities and schools; some corps members provide borehole to their respective communities.
“Corps members also provide bus stops, make donations to health centres and carry out charity outreach programmes, among other community development projects,’’ he said.
By and large, observers insist that government should review NYSC scheme in compliance with its objective of promoting unity in a nation of diverse cultures, economic and social backgrounds.(NANFeatures)
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