The service year is a period many yearn for. During the service year, corps members have the opportunity of developing attitudes of mind, acquired through shared experience and suitable training; to acquire the spirit of self-reliance by developing skills for self-employment (SAED) and contribute to the growth of national economy; mixing with people of other tribes, social and family backgrounds; to learn the culture of the indigenes of their host community, remove prejudice, eliminate ignorance and promote unity and integration. An opportunity many never get in their life time.

Just as Thomas Edison once said “most people miss opportunity because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work". Many came to service with a mindset of escaping their guardians' watch; a period of rest from the stressful school days; a time to flex and enjoy. You will hear some guys say “I chose Calabar because babes plenty there die, even Olamide talk am for his song”.

It is important to note that, the period of service year isn’t really a break from the school stress, but a time to seat back and think of giving your dreams a wing, a time given to work and envision towards your goals. The reason why I am giving you these tips is for you as a serving or prospective corps member to take advantage of these opportunities.
Remember that it is only a pessimist that sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

So seat back while you read on and have them pictured in your mind.

1. The friendly and needy host community

Do you notice the smile on those children’s faces when they call you Kofa; the eagerness of that Malam to see you speak Hausa; the warm gesture of the Yoruba woman that calls you “Omo Ijoba” and your Igbo customer that always welcome you with “Copa, you don come”? They all want to relate with you, they respect and cherish you. One of the ideals of NYSC is for corps members to get acquainted with the culture and language of the host community. Show a feeling of respect, enthusiasm and interest for their culture and language; make friends and play with their children. In turn they will be the ones serving you.

Your host community has needs that needed to be met. Yes! It is obvious; that’s why you are posted to that community to help meet those needs. But apart from the primary assignment you are required to take—to help with their needs, there are some other needs which might not be readily available to them. You can make extra money meeting those needs—some without you spending a dime than a bit of your time and knowledge.

Some of the erroneous thoughts during the orientation camp are that, the rural areas lack some basic amenities and you would not be capable of surviving in that area. Some corps members goes to the extent of meeting their platoon masters or any official that could help in the posting. But I would tell you just as Bruce lee said ‘to hell with circumstances; I create opportunity’.

Perhaps many will notice that the populations of those posted to rural areas are far more than those posted to urban areas. That’s because it’s where the service of corps members are most needed. So create opportunity while you are there.


2. Easy Job Opportunity

The program has help create many entry-level jobs for many Nigerian youth. There have been cases of corps members being retained in their place of primary assignment, some given jobs or scholarships due to their achievements (personal CDS). But I must tell you they are just the very few lucky ones that have put so much effort.

Corps members posted to rural areas should consider themselves very lucky in that there are more wants in the rural areas than the urban because of little supply. As a young corps member, you can capitalize on this and make the supplies; making profits in the process and gaining recognition.

Let the fear of rampant unemployment drive you to a secured job.

3. Effectively utilizing your skills and satisfying your passion

Implement what you know, put it into practice and know that you aren’t the only with that passion of yours. So utilize your skills effectively and earn while you satisfy others passions in the process of satisfying yours.

Corps members in the orientation camp can make money snapping and printing digital passports and photographs. Many go to the camp with digital camera but not photograph printer. You can invest extra 20k to buy the printer and make money while in the camp and also during your passing out ceremony. If posted to a place close to the camp you can visit during camping of other batches.

An example of effectively satisfying your passion is starting a football viewing center. Let me give you an example of a friend who loves watching football. He is not the only one that loves watching football. He noticed there was a sizeable population of football lovers among the indigenes of the community we serve in and fellow corps members whom all have to travel to a nearby town to satisfy their passion—they spend N200 each to transport themselves to the village and pay extra N100 to the viewing center manager to have a ticket to view the match. So each person pays a whooping N300 just to watch a match.

Imagine if he has to watch 4 matches in a month that’s N1200, remember he is not alone in this. So he decided to start a viewing center in our village. He bought a fairly used decoder, a generator, TV and set up viewing center in one corner of our lodge after striking a deal with other corps members in the lodge, as the lodge has a wide compound.

In four months he made enough money to rent a place, bought benches and moved is viewing center. During days of no match, he viewed films—as you know Hausas love Indian and action films. Most guys who love football love to play its video game, so he makes money through play stations too.


After the service year he found that him closing down this center will starve people of football actions, so he employed the service of boy he trust…did I just say employ? Yes he transitioned from being a corper to an employer. You can do same. Just study where your passion lays common with others passion, take advantage of the lacking amenities in the community and start earning while you satisfy your passion.

Also there is this friend of mine, who's an artist and loves to draw and design. He was posted to a college of education where he taught students arts. In his first class with the students, after introducing himself and what he will be taking them, he took them out on a field, sat under a tree, brought out is pen and a sheet of white paper and started drawing the building which contains their class. They were amazed to see him draw with a pen and finishing in short time frame. He didn’t just draw the structure but include some two students chatting at the front of one of the classes and carefully carved their faces and figures. He really bought them with this and in no time he started receiving offers from some student to draw their favorite pictures and pictures of friends whom they want to surprise with a birthday gift at a handsome charge and even help market his talent to friends from other departments.



4. Acquire skills and certificates

Maximize your time and add value to yourself by acquiring skills and certificates—be it professional (e.g. NIM) or educational (e.g. PGD), at low price and in short time frame.

The skill acquisition program should be taken seriously, because it is not your credentials that count but what can you offer. Those SAED guys are paid (given value) to train you to be self-employed, so take that value for yourself and get trained. Be wise!

Let me give you a personal experience on why you should acquire certificates. Just two days to entering the camp—the Monday of the week we are to enter camp, I attended an Access bank entry-level recruitment test. After haven passed the aptitude test, we were invited for an interview the second day—Tuesday. We were given a template to follow when writing our CV, which we were required to bring along to the interview. Checking through the template, I found out that I’m not qualified or may be at disadvantage. There’s a platform requiring a professional certificate which I had none. Did you think getting to camp and finding that some professional bodies are advertising a program that would earn me such certificate at a subsidized price, I would miss such opportunity? Answer that to yourself.

5. Starting a Business

The best time to start any business is when one is a corps member. The worst challenge of youth in the area of business is capital and now that you receive a monthly allowance of N19,800, as corps member you must use the money for tangible investments, because after your service year there may not be such opportunity of getting regular income. Thanks to the increased level of unemployment in the country.

As corps member you get more business patronage than an illiterate or a mere stranger doing business to survive. They feel more secured in doing business with you and trust your prowess as a graduate—a government property from a well-organized institution. So you see, you have an upper hand.

There are so many businesses you can venture into, to maximize your time and stipends during the service year and become financially independent while you seek for some other job opportunities after the service year.

One way to have edge in doing business while serving is creating a relationship with the indigenous people by been jovial and helpful, that way you get to know the secretes of the land. Just as I did as the Muslim Eid break approach—I bought 3 goats and 4 rams at the rate of 5k and 16k each respectively, kept it with a family I became so close with. They helped nurture them as they also have a ranch in which they practice animal husbandry. By the time of the break, they help lead those animals onto a truck that leaves for Lagos. All I did was, told my brother to collect those animals, take one for Mom and help sell the rest to neighbors. I was surprise when he told me he sold the goats for 12k each and the rams for an average of 37k. That’s cool right! I just took the risk though.

Agricultural farm produce business is also very lucrative as most are from the rural areas where are relatively cheaper, especially when middle man is eliminated. The same goods (e.g. beans in the north) that may cost folds in the urban or the immediate market can be bought at a very cheap rate from the farmers (most being your neighbors). Mind you, most produce are seasonal, costing low at the harvest period and more afterwards. You can buy from the farmers during the harvest, treat if need be and store till the period of scarcity when you can now sell at a much higher price at the community’s market or send to your home town to earn even higher.

There are also some commodities that are ready available and cost less in your place of origin but cost more in your host community. That’s an opportunity, get the goods sent to you from home and start a distribution channel.

During the New Year Eve, a friend took some bags of onions she bought for N7000 per bag home (though we were all making mockery of her), but when she came back, she told us she gave them to her mother who in turn sold each for an average of N16000. While returning she brought five 20litres gallons of palm oil, which she bought at a very cheap rate in her village (I guess they’ve lots of palm tree there or may be harvesting palm fruits and making palm is her mother’s profession) and sold them to fellow Igbo market women in out host community at a higher rate.

Nigeria is a blessed country with a diverse resources—the northern, southern and western regions of the country each have some resources that are unique to the region (either lacking or in very quantity in other regions). So it is an opportunity you should take advantage of.

6. The flexible Loan

As said earlier the NYSC boards are now focusing more on empowering youths. That is obvious in the numerous flexible loan opportunities with a digit interest rate that are to help corps members start up something lucrative. These include the BOI, CBN as well as getting loans from the national directorate of employment.

I have a friend who did take advantage of this opportunity. He wrote a compelling proposal that got him a loan of three million naira (N3,000,000.00), which he used to start up a poultry farm. The loan is very flexible and requires no collateral as the conventional loan. So stop complaining of capital, eschew your fear of loan and take advantage of this opportunity.
Great opportunities don’t come every day—recognize and seize them with every chance you get. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world aren’t the best coders, but instead, just really good at seizing great opportunities…and the realization of this is when you can truly help solve another’s problem.

The very few people take advantage of these opportunities, are those curious and look things from a different point of view. Be prepared to attain success because “it is where preparation and opportunity meet”~ Bobby Unser

Editors’ Review:

Dr. A. Jamiu : Good timing is really important, because when you give the brain too much to work out a situation, the real moment will pass by, so react quickly and strike while the moment exists. Make use of the window of opportunity before it pass you by.

Mr Naheem: This post is more essentially for corps members to benefit. It is when u had finished your service & return home that u will understand that 1Year(though i call it free time) could have been use to enhance yourself.


http://yankaba..com.ng/2017/06/6-grand-opportunities-you-shouldnt-miss.html?m=1

Thanks for the post, it's a eyeopener

may God continue to bless you.I shall share my testimony after my one year service too.I believe with God am fully prepared to face any challenges and bring out those opportunities in them.

Thanks so much for this.