My Country Service - An Obligation Over Choice

I was on a discord chat with a Hive friend yesterday and he was like, this prompt is for countries like Nigeria that has compulsory service imposed on citizens and I wish I could argue with him. It's cool that some countries do not have programs like this for their youth citizens but it's also cool that countries like Nigeria has such.

I would be honest, I have always dreamed of reaching the service level in my country but all that dream was because of the respect and admiration the citizens who go for it get especially on the uniform they wear. I didn't think much about what the service really entailed but I learned about it when I finally got here.

Yeah, I'm in my service year and it's still ongoing. It's been almost seven months since I registered to be posted to a place I had never been so I could serve my country in being part of bringing the country to unity. The major purpose of the NYSC service in Nigeria is cooperation, unity in diversity and love among citizens regardless of their origin.

Trust me, I'm for all that but if I am being honest, I wish the process of the program isn't done as it is. First of all, making the program compulsory is a bit
fair because many won't participate if it's not, I wouldn't too. So the best I believe they could have done is, providing the right atmosphere and environment for their purposes to be carried out.

I can't be for cooperation, unity or love and peace when I'm posted to an area that has a lot of security issues. I would be more busy to keep myself safe or even run away from serving rather than trying to protect the purpose my country sent me there for 😂 it's only reasonable that way.

The months I've spent in my service year have been full of the unexpected both positively and negatively. I had a good time inside the camp (a 3-week orientation program) and even found a new fun while I was there but after it came the real deal I wasn't ready for but here I am, counting down to when I'll be done with the whole service thing.

Maybe if it was made to be a choice thing more than it is made mandatory, I would get to decide where I choose to carry out my obligation without feeling forced. I can't even say I'm in the worse place of primary assignment because there are others who are in the worst places, this is where I have issues with the program.

The security of the places, the monthly pay, the too many challenges, these aspects should be revisited as they play huge part in making a graduate citizen feel forced to carry out the obligation or otherwise. I had great expectations for my service year but that changed the moment I got posted. It hasn't been an all bad experience but I wish it was way better what it is.