Why does anybody have to go through the NYSC program.
I believe it is only a ploy to waste the precious time of young and able bodied Nigerian graduates.
The government should do something about it. Please Nairalanders tell me what you think about it.

It is a personal thing. To me, till date it happens to be my best year I have  ever lived. I cant but be thankful to God for making that happen. It is individualistic

complete waste of time. i think it should end after the orientation. then we can say it is an opportunity to interact with people from diverse backgrounds, but beyond that, an absolute no brainer!

Complete waste of time,its only good for pursuing hedonistic pleasures

complete waste of time, it should be optional.

Roadblock do u really mean that ur youth service year was ur best ever. that means ur life is a very boring story. God how can anybody have their youth service year as the best. well I dont know what u were doing in that period. After the orientation people should be allowed to get involved in other things that are more productive.
Imagine my friend that was sent to Beyelsa State.He had to serve under a tree for a whole year. That is terrible. If I had my way I would scrap it completely but I will allow the orientation program to continue for an extended period of two to three months. Then they can learn useful stuff that will be beneficial to their dream.
I-man you are the man. I agree with u completely

Every individual has a different story to tell. For me, it was fun.

I learnt new things, made new friends & was exposed to a different culture which I probably wouldn't have experienced if i had stayed in my zone. It helped me to debunk all those myths about how people from a particular area behaved & made me understand our differences & value them.

Strangers I didn't know, would dole out the little they had, to make me feel welcome. Every little activity was appreciated & celebrated. It taught me that poverty is a common denominator across Nigeria. No particular area is free from it. It also made me realise that human goodness resides in most human hearts, irrespective of ethnicity. And that vice does not recognise tribe & tongue. It rears its head in all places.

I made friends who are now like family to me. So I don't believe that I would advocate that the NYSC programme, should be scrapped.

There have been rumours (am yet to verify them), that some people seek a re-entry into the Youth corps programme after passing out, in order to be able to collect that allowance or NYSC monthly stipend. Simply because they are scared to face the unemployment market.

laudate:

Every individual has a different story to tell. For me, it was fun.

I learnt new things, made new friends & was exposed to a different culture which I probably wouldn't have experienced if i had stayed in my zone. It helped me to debunk all those myths about how people from a particular area behaved & made me understand our differences & value them.

It took you untill you graduated to realise the farcical nature of ethnic myths?

I don't think it is proper for their to be a Govt programme for adult Nigerians to have "fun",meet friends and get "exposed" to different cultures .If you hadn't had enough fun,met enough friends and got your "exposure " by the time you graduate from University,its not up to the Govt to have a programme for you to do that.

Actually it does help to be with people to understand them better than just going by biased hear-say.

ThiefOfHearts:

Actually it does help to be with people to understand them better than just going by biased hear-say.

There are actually some people who don't lend credence to the biased hear-say in the first place.

Roadblock:

It is a personal thing. To me, till date it happens to be my best year I have ever lived. I can't but be thankful to God for making that happen. It is individualistic

You couldnt have put it any better. Best yr of my life. Sometimes life is most interesting in the midst of uncertainty and challenges.

Glad you know that it's just "some" people. I assume you know that not everyone was brought up in the same way.

There are also a lot of people who come back the Service programme even more intolerant,making a mockery of the people of the area they served in.We don't know for sure that most people come back with more understanding and I think they don't.We don't need this programme

It is not a waste of time o,na there man pikn take jam him wife o,make dem no scrap am o,i still wan go for more.

ThiefOfHearts:

Actually it does help to be with people to understand them better than just going by biased hear-say.

You might be right, but my problem with the NYSC thing is why we will as a Nation wait until people are 21-28 years before they begin to UNLEARN those biase. "do you honestly think any person who is more comfortable with his right arm right from birth will learn to prefer his left arm at age 20 or above"

If we are serious about building a secular Nigeria primary and secondary schools must emphasize on History of Nigeria and how to defend a secular Nigeria than the present emphasis we have today in Christain and Islamic Religous Studies. (Religous studies should be taught at home and places of worships not government schools).

Think of the kids who killed their teacher in their quest to defend qur'an without any person trying to discipline them. At age 21 they will travel miles away to the south to see new things contrary to what they have know all their life. Will that change their belief
How about those who did not attend university who will integrate them

I-man:

It took you untill you graduated to realise the farcical nature of ethnic myths?

I don't think it is proper for their to be a Govt programme for adult Nigerians to have "fun",meet friends and get "exposed" to different cultures .If you hadn't had enough fun,met enough friends and got your "exposure " by the time you graduate from University,its not up to the Govt to have a programme for you to do that.

It did not take me until I graduated, to realise the farcical nature of ethnic myths, Thou Sceptical, All-Knowing,  All-Wise One.

It took me (until I graduated), to experience a different culture, that I had heard so much about, but hadn't encountered directly. I had encountered other cultures, but not this particular one. There are several ethnic groups in Nigeria, not just the three or four that most people in my school, were used to.

If you feel it is not proper for a government programme to be in place for young Nigerians to gain exposure about different cultures, then that is your own opinion. And you are entitled to it. I feel differently.

A young man born in Uyo, who schooled in Port-Harcourt and spent most of his adult life in Calabar may never get up on his own to find out what Jalingo looks like, if he is not posted to Taraba state by the NYSC officials. I mean if he has no reason to leave his enclave,  why would he bother?


Most people prefer the familiar. Nothing wrong with that. They take refuge in it. And would hardly go out of their way to accomodate the 'unknown' (in fact, they may even reject it), if they didn't have a good reason to embrace that unknown entity. Some folks on the other hand, are naturally adventurous and inquisitive. For them, the unknown holds a queer fascination, and until they are able to demistify it & acquaint themselves with it, they would not relent. We are wired in different ways.  

For me, the NYSC provides people from different ethnic areas with a chance to live & interact with other groups from other parts of the nation. Other nations have universities & colleges that conduct cultural exchange programmes & excursions, for their students to see other parts of the world. Some people would even work as an au pair, because it provides them with a chance to learn a new language & a new culture. In Nigeria, we have NYSC. Travel by itself, is an education.

I-man:

There are also a lot of people who come back the Service programme even more intolerant,making a mockery of the people of the area they served in.We don't know for sure that most people come back with more understanding and I think they don't.We don't need this programme

Maybe because those people did not leave for those areas with an open mind.

They already had a warped view or deep-seated prejudice, and merely sought for instances or events that would validate such prejudice.

If there was ONE thing NYSC taught me it is that:

North and south Nigeria are not compatible! the worst mistake the yoruba ever made was to support northern Nigeria during the civil war. We dont have anything, mindset, culture, religion, language in common. We would have been better of without them.

You go up north to spend one yr teaching a group of unlearned 40 yr olds under a tree while cattle rearers who manage to pass thru college without learning anything go down south to take up lucrative positions in the name of quota system.

I-man:

There are also a lot of people who come back the Service programme even more intolerant,making a mockery of the people of the area they served in.We don't know for sure that most people come back with more understanding and I think they don't.We don't need this programme

Um I didnt make my comment in support of NYSC, I said it as a response to your comment to laudate's post. I probably should have quoted you when I wrote that. Sorry for the confusion.

lol I personally dont get the point of NYSC but hey if some enjoy it, na their own be that.

McKren:

You might be right, but my problem with the NYSC thing is why we will as a Nation wait until people are 21-28 years before they begin to UNLEARN those biase. "do you honestly think any person who is more comfortable with his right arm right from birth will learn to prefer his left arm at age 20 or above"

The NYSC is not perfect, but it is a good start. If events & situations do not occur to make people question their beliefs or jettison their bias, tell me, how do you think it will occur? Do you assume such people will sleep & merely wake up one morning, to declare that they have seen the light? I think not.

Sometimes, when one is thrust into a totally different environment, one may need to re-think some of the assumptions one has held over time. Let me share a story.

Our orientation camp was held in a remote part of the South-West. One day, my friend & I went for a meal at a Mamaput joint, within the camp. I forgot my torch & a few valuables, after the meal. I searched everywhere, but that particular place, (I didn't even remember taking those things there), & finally gave up. The chances of finding those things were in my view, nil.

A few days later, the lady at the Mamaput started looking for us. She finally tracked me down & wordlessly handed over my torch & other valuables. She kept everything safe, down to the last naira & did not ask for a reward. I stared at her in shock. This woman was a poor widow trying to make ends meet, with a disabled daughter and two teenage sons. Her meagre takings from her catering joint could barely feed them, yet she didn't steal my stuff & refused to take any monetary reward or cash gift. She told me that she believed that she would find the rightful owner. And that if riches were to come her way, it wouldn't come through dishonest means. Ill-gotten wealth brings a curse in her view.

On my last day in camp, I handed over my best clothes to her, asking her to keep them in trust for her kids. And left with tears in my eyes. I wish I had been able to offer her, more.

WASTE OF TIME
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CLAIM TO SPEND 1M EACH ON EVERY COPER.
THEY SHOULD JUST GIVE US THAT MONEY AS SOON AS U GET UR CERTIFICATE FROM SCHOOL

NYSC Is A Big Failure. A Failed Project.

If They Cant Re-engineer the Process, They Should Scrap It.

When I graduated, I didn't see any need for it coz I have already set my future
and there was no way NYSC will play a part in it.

Instead going going to waste a year in one bush, I decided to start working on
my plans IMMEDIATELY I left school.

Did I regret that decision? I am yet to and I doubt if I would.

Like they say, what faces a man is backing another. So other may enjoy it,
but I am yet to see an sense in it!

Just my own 2 kobo anyway

kliverpool:

WASTE OF TIME
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CLAIM TO SPEND 1M EACH ON EVERY COPPER.
THEY SHOULD JUST GIVE US THAT MONEY AS SOON AS U GET UR CERTIFICATE FROM SCHOOL

soo true it is plagued by corruption and full of broken promises. if i am not mistaking (besides the social aspect) isnt it meant to be like an internship? how many corpers ever get retained by the govt parastatals? in my time as a corper, they even got rejected for the process (service year) all together.

davidylan:

If there was ONE thing NYSC taught me it is that:

North and south Nigeria are not compatible! the worst mistake the yoruba ever made was to support northern Nigeria during the civil war. We don't have anything, mindset, culture, religion, language in common. We would have been better of without them.

You go up north to spend one yr teaching a group of unlearned 40 yr olds under a tree while cattle rearers who manage to pass through college without learning anything go down south to take up lucrative positions in the name of quota system.

Isn't this a sweeping generalisation? Teaching unlearned 40 year olds under a tree, isn't enough reason to make this kind of sweeping statement. While the proportion of educated people may be more in the South than the North, one must also acknowledge the fact that there are quite a number of well-educated Northerners, who qualify to be appointed to positions of authority on merit.  Are you saying all the schools and universities in the North, from Lokoja, Jos, Kaduna, Zaria, Bauchi, and Kano to Maiduguri and Sokoto etc., have not turned out any qualified graduates, since their inception?  

You also claimed that 'religion' is one of the things that Yoruba people do not share with the North. I beg to disagree. There are Yoruba muslims in the south-west too, just like you have several muslims in the North. Yes, the culture & language is different (even the various ethnic groups in the South, do not share the same language), but that is not enough reason to lump all Northerners in the same category, and declare that the 'North & South are not compatible'.

If you do not find them compatible, other southerners exist, who may find them compatible. Period.  

laudate:

If you do not find them compatible, other southerners exist, who may find them compatible. Period.

I agree whole heartedly, that's probably why we are still crawling at 47 without any light at the end of the tunnel.

The programme itself is a laudable one with both Long term and short term benefits.
It is the execution and Modus operandi that fallshort of expection,hence these avalanche of compliants trailing her.
The moment square pegs are put in square holes,NYSC will aid to a greater degree, National integration,ethnic tolerance and inter-tribal sync among others.

mee---eeennn graduates will appreciate govt more if they pay that IMillion straight into their account after camp and let them go home

For some NYSC is the best thing -- some met their wife, get the much needed working experience, their desire job and to some lot and lot of fun.

While to some it is just a waste of time, can you imagine a marketing graduate post to a secondary school to teach Mathmatics.

As for me it a mixture of both, though i did not get the much desired working/field experience or met any lady of my choice but I had my share of the fun travelling all over the former Ondo sate (now Ondo and Ekiti State) and met people with very very difference views about how the country is suppose to be run and human behavaiour.

My suggestion is that the scheme should be made optional but must be completed once you accept to be part and enter the orientation camp.

I decided that I wont have anything to do with the whole thing but I got people who keep harassing me and saying that it important for me do go through the program. I dont think there is anything to gain from the present arrangement. the government dont exactly care about the Nigerian young people that is why they claim to spend about 1 million on each youth corper yet we dont see the benefit in the lives of these young people.

I know that the orginators of the program had good intentions but the fact is the whole thing is messed up. I dont think I want to be a part of a messed up project and I wouldn't want anybody close to me to be a part of it either.

So I maintain that the project should be scraped.

I did my Service in London!

I-man:

I did my Service in London!

Really tell me about it. who were u serving the Nigeria or the British Government. Finally sha I dey enjoy your style.