Mandatory service for graduates in Nigeria

Greetings!

When we talk about mandatory services that citizens provide to their country, the one that comes to mind is the National Youth Service Corps(NYSC] for graduates. This service requires graduates to serve the nation for a period of one year. During this time, they are posted to regions far from their homes to engage in various forms of community service, and the government provides them with a stipend to support them through the period. It is a mandatory service because, when job hunting, one of the major requirements for a graduate is the certificate from this one-year service.

A lot of people are strongly opposed to the scheme, and to be very honest, I was once among those who criticized it, dismissing it as a waste of time. However, all those opinions changed when I personally engaged in it.

The primary issue I see with the scheme is its duration. A year feels excessively long; it would have been better if it lasted only 5-6 months. Spending an entire year in a distant location, especially when the working conditions there are not favorable, can feel like a waste of time. On the other hand, the full year has its benefits, as it allows students to earn some income before securing a more permanent job. The truth is, jobs are very hard to come by in Nigeria, and this scheme serves as a crucial lifeline for many graduates.

When I served, we were paid N19,000. Although the cost of living was high at the time, it was still manageable compared to the current situation. A few years ago, the stipend was increased to N33,000 per month, and as of now, it has been raised to N70,000 per month. Although the economic situation is quite challenging, a graduate can manage on this amount for the whole year, possibly even saving some money to start up something immediately after the service period ends.

When this increment was announced, graduating students were very happy because, given the current situation in Nigeria, securing a job is far from guaranteed. This N70,000 per month can go a long way in helping them survive while serving the nation and simultaneously searching for jobs or establishing a business.

Should the scheme be scrapped?

As I mentioned earlier, I used to speak against it, but my perspective changed when I participated in the service and saw how broad the scheme truly is. Under normal circumstances, it serves as a platform for graduates to gain work experience before entering the job market. Ideally, graduates should be posted to organizations related to their field of study. For example, those who studied Mass Communication should be posted to TV and radio stations, and those who studied engineering should be posted to various engineering firms. Moreover, many of these firms end up retaining these graduates as full-time staff once their service is over.

The problem, however, is that graduates are often not posted to their areas of specialization. Instead, they are frequently assigned to teaching positions, as was the case during my time.

In conclusion, rather than scrapping the scheme, it should be restructured and improved. With the right structure in place, potential graduates will be more enthusiastic about joining and making the most out of the experience.

Thanks for reading.

| Photos are mine |

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