The National Youth Service Corps is a programme set up by the Federal government on 22 May 1973 to involve Nigerian graduates from universities, and later polytechnics, in nation building.
WUZUPNIGERIA has highlighted 17 important facts you need to know about NYSC which is currently being debated in the House of Reps.
1. NYSC was created on May 22nd, 1973.
2. NYSC serves as an avenue for the reconciliation, reconstruction and rebuilding of the nation after the civil war.
3. It came into effect under the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon.
4. NYSC was enacted based on decree No. 24 which states that the scheme was created “with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity.”
5. Corps members (participants in the scheme) are posted to states other than their state of origin where they are expected to mix with people from different ethnic groups, social and family backgrounds.
6. Successful candidates for the NYSC scheme will have the rare privilege of learning the culture of the indigenes in the location they are posted to.
7. Graduate posting is done in three batches in the course of the year. We have: Batch A, Batch B and Batch C.
8. To be eligible to participate in the compulsory one-year service, a graduate must be below 30 years upon graduation else he/she will be given a Certificate of Exemption, which is also equivalent to the NYSC Discharge Certificate.
9. Although a person who graduates before 30 years but skips the service year will still be eligible to serve even if he/she wants at the age of 60 since his/her certificate of graduation was dated before he/she clocked 30 years of age.
10. The NYSC comprises four main segments in which every corps member must satisfactorily participate before he/she is qualified to be issued a certificate of National Service. It includes Orientation Courses, Primary Assignment, Community Development Service and Winding – Up/Passing –out.
11. The National Youth Service Corps year starts with a 3-week orientation course, which is compulsory for all graduates mobilised for national service across the 36 states of Nigeria.
12. The orientation course opens with a swearing-in/opening ceremony presided over by the executive Governor of the State/FCT Minister.
The orientation course content involves physical training, drills, lectures on the people and tradition of the host State, professional lectures for Corps health personnel’s, lawyers, teachers and Skill acquisition training e.t.c. Corps members participate in social activities designed to create opportunities for them to interact such as dance/ drama competitions, Miss NYSC and Mr Macho, inter platoon competitions on football, volleyball, table tennis, cooking, sanitation, competitions on inter-platoon drills and tug of war.
13. The Oath of Allegiance and the National Pledge are administered by the Chief Judge of the State/FCT.
14. At the end of the orientation, Corps members are posted to their Place of Primary Assignment (PPA). While the NYSC Management takes into consideration the areas of specialization of Corps members carrying out the posting exercise, emphasis is placed in rural posting in the areas of Agriculture, Health, Education and Infrastructure.
15. It is expected that Corps members should accept their posting and be agents of change contributing towards the development of their host communities.
16. Corps members also engage in Community Development Service (CDS) aimed at harnessing the skills, creativity and innovativeness of Corps members.
Where they are expected to identify the needs of their host communities and mobilise members of their host communities to embark on the projects.
Through this programme, many Corps members will be able to construct bridges, health care centres, classroom blocks, market stalls, culverts etc.
They also carry out projects like HIV sensitization, adult literacy campaign, extra-mural classes for students, road safety campaign etc.
Corps members also get to participate actively in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) through the War Against Poverty (WAP) programme of the scheme.
17. At the end of the service year (usually at the 12th month), corps members are gathered in their respective zones for assessment of the service year and de-briefing.
