The Truth About NYSC – Our little “Cry For Help”

Before I start, what I’m about to scribble here is based on a ‘majority analysis’, that is to say I’m looking at the approximate percentage of people being affected by NYSC and that is roughly 87%, idealistically. My point is, when I say NYSC is doing more harm than good to the youths (because I will be saying it a whole lot) it means it has affected more youths negatively than it has impacted them even though the remaining 13% were privileged. Now, there is a pattern in which most people go now – go to school, get a degree, serve your country through the NYSC scheme (get married in the process), go for your masters/get a job, get married.. Your pattern might not necessarily go that way exactly but you would agree that at least 80% or maybe 75% of that pattern applies to you.

So you get a degree, probably graduate with a 2.1, 2.2, a third class or even a first class and then you decide to serve your country, your fatherland. You go away from home for a year, have the most fun at the orientation camp, meet new people, exchange numbers… you know how it goes. And then you get posted to a secondary school where you teach kids for about N7,500 or even N5,000 a month, some even get posted to organizations that pay such amount. Add that to your NYSC allowance every month which is N19,800 and you know what that will sum up to.

Initially you think you can’t survive with that amount of money but then you say to yourself, “I’m not the only corps member”, “we go hustle”, “it’s just for a year”, “I’ll just save what I can and have fun”, “some people are not even getting paid outside the NYSC allowance”, and then you get sucked up to that system. 3months, 6months, 1year…

“POP!!!!!” “Turn up!!!!” “God kept me thus far!!!” Everyone is ecstatic, everyone is cheerful, you’re passing out in the next 3 days… But what next?

Ok let’s say you land a better paying job or your parents or family friend help you get the “connection”, because honestly, all those jobs don’t really come by chance, let’s get realistic here. You’re getting paid about N20,000 – N65,000 a month and then add that to your NYSC monthly allowance N19,800. Ok you probably feel you have arrived and you’re earning more than your fellow corps members. You move out, have a fun filled year with the new people you’ve met and your new environment, all things being equal. It’s time for your POP… what next?

Hold up hold up, before I delve further, was anyone earning above N70,000?? Probably N70,000 – N100,000 range??? Or even more?? Haha then good for you man! Good for you!
But my point is “what next?”. Let me give you the most likely occurrences;
1. You luckily land a new job after NYSC (now I don’t know how much you’re getting paid but I do hope it’s not less than what you were earning during NYSC).

2. You get married to the love of your life (isn’t that sweet?).

3. You go for your masters abroad (and might I just add that you are one hell of a lucky person because gaining admission is tough and the dollar rate is even tougher, good for you) or you gain admission to do it here in Nigeria (nice as well).

4. You are waiting for an admission offer so you engage in other things (good stuff, just be patient)

5. You are looking for a job!

Now, some of you fall in more than one category here but majority fall into category 5. You are looking for a damn job! Searching & searching. This situation pushes many into other categories outlined here that I’d rather not talk about to avoid any feminism talks that would cause us to deviate from the point. So some people engage in menial jobs just to keep body and soul together. The point is that you can’t live like that forever because it is not enough so it boils right back to the fact that you need an actual job.
This happens to almost every youth that passes out of the NYSC scheme. Isn’t this a sad rollercoaster?

An organization will rather employ 10 corps members that they can pay N10,000 or N15,000 each rather than employ a graduate who just finished serving the fatherland so diligently. This is what most youths suffer which is joblessness. Some of them want to take care of their parents, fall in love and build a home, invest, start their businesses and whatnot, but how can all that happen I ask you.

We are so used to this system that it feels so normal and nobody wants to do anything about it.

We keep hearing that the NYSC scheme has been happening years even before our parents were born, that the scheme is a medium of service and humility to our country, that it is intended to keep our youths engaged after the university – but just for a year?

We even hear stuff like “you can meet your spouses during the scheme.” Fine, this is true to an extent – there are testifiers to this, but I say to you that if you are such a diehard believer of fate, why do you think you can’t meet your spouse anywhere else other than the NYSC scheme? A lot of things have to be reviewed and readjusted.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my country and I think the NYSC scheme is totally great. The experience is amazing! But the aftermath of this scheme needs to be taken care of; if you want the youths to engage in tireless service to the fatherland where we risk our lives traveling, surviving in new cities, towns and even villages on low budgets, adapting to lifestyles and beliefs we know nothing about, and the worst of all staying alive throughout the service year, then a lot of measures need to be reviewed and put into perspective. Because believe you me, the youths know what they mean when they say “God kept me thus far!!!”

I know a lot of minds have wanted to cry out for this so permit me when I say this is our little “cry for help”. Now we are not crying for ourselves but we are crying for the next generation of graduates and leaders of our great nation. Let’s make what matters, matter.