Nigerian youths have expressed their views on the move by the Federal House of Representatives to discontinue the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) due to insecurity and other issues.
Click here to see why Reps move to scrap NYSC
Speaking in support of the move, @ToyosGodwin faults the scheme’s inability to train corps members on emerging technology: “Nothing techy about the scheme. This is something that deserves being talked about. No one is talking about digital skills. Only left march, remove hair dress. Nobody is talking about investment plans. So bad, people are even advised not to bring their laptops. A gathering of youths. Lord.
“Spent almost one hour learning about COVID-19. The same COVID-19 that I have read countless hours on. Learned fragments of the Hausa language. History of the State. Farming. Everything is fun. But can tech be encouraged? Ugh. Maybe because I’m wired to always be with my laptop.
Ismail Paraiso, a student union leader, also stated some reasons the scheme should be scrapped. He said:
“There really isn’t a need for a replacement. The aim of the scheme is defeated already and the government keeps pumping lots of billions into the scheme yearly with little to no effect on the original mandate of the scheme. In addition, wasting the precious time of young vibrant youths that would have been useful to pursue other goals.
“The country needs to overhaul most of its schemes and programs as most are becoming uncharacteristically obsolete!”
Buttressing one of the major reasons the bill scaled its second reading, Paraiso added: “the security situation of the country has even rendered the scheme almost useless. The few remote locations where the schemes have recorded major success due to shortage of qualified manpower are still the same area with the worst security situation in the country.
“So why endanger the life of the so-called ‘leaders of tomorrow’ to such a threat where you can no longer guarantee their safety during the service year. If I was the Speaker of the Green Chamber, we’d pass that bill next month.”
@aselugeemain also supported the plan to halt the one year compulsory service, he tweeted: “Let them scrap it. Send every graduate on a one month orientation camp where they’ll be taught self defense and economics. At the end multiply their one year stipend and pay them as a startup. The current NYSC structure is docile and irrelevant to today’s plights.”
Also, Lakunle_Kunle said the scheme should be scrapped because: “A lot of people are jobless because of NYSC. Some organizations would rather request Corps members than employ real staff. Schools as an example. 11months NYSC is a waste of time, you might not even remember what you studied in your institution talk less of practicing after this period.
In contrast, @oduduwa_s noted that the discontinuation of the scheme would render many youths totally unemployed. He tweeted: “Now they want to render more than half of Nigerian Graduates completely UNEMPLOYED from graduation to retirement age.😄 Many of you are not aware that the only alert some people have ever received since graduation for over 10years now is the NYSC allowee.”
Samuel Elias highlighted several reasons the scheme should not be discontinued, he said: It’s not just the money. It is a year of fun (depending on your place of placement and circumstances), it’s also a year of networking etc. which are necessary after the kind of university education we all got.
Ogunbowale Olatayo Bodunrin also said: “The reasons to the notion to scrap the NYSC is german but scrapping it is not the best way to eradicate all the reasons enlisted in the bills. The best way is for the government to proffer better ways and solutions to the reasons which the bill was raised on.
“NYSC is a platform where most young graduates at some point were being exposed to some part of the country which is another experience and part of education, aside from that some young graduates secure some opportunities during their service which might not be general though.
“Scrapping the One year service is not the solution rather than finding solutions to the reasons to raise on the purpose to scrap it. I know the Nigeria Government will always want to eradicate what’s not favouring them directly, could you agree that the allowance might be a burden to them one at some point. We have a system that is not working effectively in Nigeria. May God help us.”
