Ikechukwu Mbonye and Kelechi Mbonye are siblings who have finished serving the mandatory one-year service with the National Youth Service Corps. The siblings served in Lagos and found the experience very interesting and fulfilling.
Ikechukwu said, “The one-year service exposed me to lots of experiences that I did not get while in school. I made many friends and have contacts. The service is good for all Nigerian youths who have graduated from higher institutions to know the country in great depth.”
His sister Kelechi expressed the same experience about the NYSC.
“I did my orientation camp in Kwara and served in Lagos. The one-year service was really good. Apart from meeting people from other parts of the country, it served as a stepping stone in my life. I will build on the experience I gained during the service,’’ she said.
The NYSC was officially established on May 22, 1973, by the Nigerian government under the head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, via Decree No. 24.
The context for its establishment was to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the nation following the Nigerian Civil War.
Talking about the primary objective of the NYSC, the Scheme has been designed to encourage national unity, develop common ties among Nigerian youths and promote cultural integration.
The first batch of 2,364 university graduates commenced their service on July 2, 1973. Col. Ahmadu Ali served as the NYSC’s first director-general.
Since its inception in 1973, Analysts believe that the journey has been good as the Scheme, over the past five decades, has made invaluable contributions to the socio-economic development of the country, to the admiration of all stakeholders.
The key achievement of the scheme is fostering national unity and integration.
The policy of posting corps members to states other than their state of origin and away from their geo-political zones has helped in giving participants in the scheme a broader understanding of the country, especially as they experience firsthand the socio-cultural peculiarities of their host communities.
Over the years, inter-tribal marriages have continued to be contracted, hence, engendering better understanding among youths who meet in the course of national service and their host communities.
Many ex-corps members have also become permanent residents and contributors to the socio-economic development of their states of deployment.
There are also contributions towards the development of education through the posting of Corps Members to teach in schools at all levels, in addition to the activities of the Corps Mass Literacy Group, with the cardinal mandate of reducing literacy to the barest minimum in Nigeria.
Contributions to healthcare delivery as corps doctors and paramedics have continued to serve in public hospitals all over the country, especially primary healthcare centres.
Furthermore, corps doctors and paramedics have been using the platform provided by the Scheme’s Health Initiative for rural dwellers to carry out medical outreaches in various communities.
Undeniably, the current Director-General of the NYSC, Brig Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, has made staff and corps members’ welfare a top priority since he assumed duty in 2025. It is to his credit that the monthly allowance of corps members was increased from N33,000 to N77,000.
Analysts believe that with more funding from the government, the scheme will do a lot in the area of economic empowerment, which NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development exemplifies.
Another significant milestone of the Scheme in 53 years is the NYSC’s collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission.
It began in 2008 with the engagement of corps members in the conduct of re-run elections in several States across the country.
The success of that experiment led to the permanent arrangement of assigning corps members to participate in INEC-organised elections.
The scheme takes great pride in the sense of patriotism, commitment and neutrality exhibited by the corps members in the course of discharging the election duties, especially during the 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2003 general elections.
Indeed, the partnership between the electoral umpire and the NYSC has become a huge success, as the participation of Corps Members as election officials has considerably enhanced the credibility of elections conducted by INEC.
The present management of INEC has said that it will collaborate with NYSC to conduct the 2027 election. Corps members have served diligently during elections in the country, and it is believed that they will ensure that the 2027 elections are successfully conducted.
Perhaps one of the challenges faced by the NYSC is the level of response by the state and local governments to the scheme.
It has been observed that the level of response to some responsibilities in the scheme has not been encouraging.
Some state orientation camps have not been upgraded, while some local government areas have not been discharging their responsibilities.
Nonetheless, the journey of the NYSC at 53 is commendable and a step in the right direction. The Scheme has integrated Nigerian youths through orientation camps to interact and learn about their culture, languages and way of life.
However, the scheme needs to be strengthened through better funding, especially the skill acquisition programme, which is a gateway to financial freedom.
The government should provide more start-up capital and grants to reach a greater percentage of Corps Members who have undergone the skill acquisition programme.
In this way, the proposed NYSC TRUST FUND will be to the rescue. The fund will not only boost the skill acquisition programme, but will also address the challenge of poor infrastructure besetting the scheme.
Above all, insecurity, which is a hydra-headed monster, should be decimated. It remains the greatest threat to the scheme, national development and the corporate existence of Nigeria.
Doubtlessly, it has been 53 years of selfless and dedicated service to Nigeria.
Mike Nwachukwu, a public affairs analyst, writes from Lagos
