NYSC To Be Made Voluntary; Nigerians Reacts

NYSC

Earlier in the week the Director-General of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi made it known that plans are in place to make the NYSC scheme voluntary for graduates and not mandatory as it used to be. INFORMATION NIGERIA has gathered the reaction of Nigerians using its platform. Here are the reactions gathered:

Mbakwe Uchenna expressed that he doesn’t support this move. He said ‘I don’t buy the idea. If they make it optional, many won’t be going for it. Instead, they should upgrade and reform it to be more attractive e.g. making one to serve in his or her own state instead posting people to other tribal areas. This is to stop the killing of innocent people due to Sharia laws or Boko Haram menace. Also I think the scheme is important because the monthly allowance being paid to corpers sustain them for some while after graduation and also helps them to make some savings for any business they wish to undertake after their service years incase of unemployment. So I don’t think the aim has totally been defeated. Let the DG of NYSC rather make it more attractive by increasing their allowance. Then let corps members be posted to their choice places.

Uche Charles on the other hand supported the proposed plan, saying ‘Voluntary’s cool. But replan the entire programme. Moreover, there ought to be a voluntary alternate program for national military service under NYSC programme as done in many countries.’
Jimoh Anoghena Osumah
 in his own opinion said ‘Instead of making the NYSC voluntary, it is better scrapped’.

Taking an angle from the major purpose NYSC is supposed to foster, Olutoba Ajiboye said ‘It should be made voluntary cause the so called unity it is supposed to foster is an illusion. In its place let us abolish indigineship and replace it with state of residence. This will achieve the desired unity and usher in the spirit of brotherhood & good neighbourliness.

Reuben Eboh used his personal testimony to make his point as to why NYSC should not be made voluntary, he said ‘Boko Haram is just for a short time and the end is getting nearer by the day. If not NYSC I wouldn’t have gone to Ebonyi State and visited places like Enugu and Abia States. NYSC changed my outlook or the way I see the Igbos. I support NYSC to continue and should be mandatory for fresh graduates who are not pregnant and not nursing babies’.

Still in support of leaving NYSC as mandatory, Ifeyinwa Okafor-mbah said ‘They should not forget the patriotic corps members who contributed to their host community during service. So many communities would not have experienced any form of civilization if corps members were not posted to those communities. And the annoying thing is that, so many of the corps members are neglected after service and this has discouraged corps members from going out of their way to contribute to their host communities’.

In conclusion o this eye opening chat, Emmanuel Dabo-Oju Alalibo opined that ‘Let it be optional considering the increasing population. If that is not tenable, they should all be sent to our secondary schools to showcase themselves. Finally we should be looking at the admission process and to my own view; all future prospective students should have an advanced level certification. This will serve as a little relief and a choke back to cushion the cost of keeping the program running’.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Making NYSC voluntary it’s a welcome idea. My advice to the DG of NYSC is it could be voluntary if students that don’t wont to go for it should be allowed but going to camp should be mandatory there after any body that wishes to serve should be allocated for allowee and those that don’t wish to serve should be cut from allowee payment because most don’t want to serve due to many reasons eg got a job already,pregnancy,house wifes,scholarship etc

  2. Those who want it scrapped are simply angry about the way Corp Members are maltreated in some places, especially in some barbaric parts of the north. I agree it should be compulsory while one chooses where to serve, for it may politically be used against those who fail to serve by the government, like denying them opportunity to hold some position or access to some benefits. Honestly,the core north defaces this country.

  3. I want to thank the DG for that creative and burden lifting move to make NYSC optional. May our good God empower you to save the growing talented youths of our gtreat country Nigeria from the inherited bondage of our acestors engulfed with NYSC vision but encircled with lost glory in our present generation. With the speedy changes in the world today, NYSC is not necessary ! But lets gradually undo the burden by introducing optional methodology as a remedy to the epileptic cancer of the fabrics of the country. Secondly, permit me to use this opportunity also to suggest the complete removal of JAMB and the introduction of Advanced level WAEC. NECO OR NABTEB as a platform for entry into the University. This will help us remove ignorance from millions of Nigerians who wallow in the darkness of JAMB bondage, youths corruption, kidnapping, killings and all sorts of modern crime. Please DG help us save our great country and God will richly bless you and keep you alive for us all. thanks.

  4. NYSC should not be made optional for any reason let alone the thought of scrapping it. Instead Nigeria should go back to her drawing board and address the challenges of the Country that has succeeded in adding to the challenges of the Scheme. The only problem NYSC is facing is the inability of Nigeria to channel the services of these teeming youths in the realization of today’s national development needs. As soon as that problem is addressed, all these talks of scrapping or not scrapping, optional or not optional will be jettisoned. Scrapping NYSC or making it optional is a NO NO!

  5. Honestly.. the NYSC should be scrapped off totally..people who are against it being scrapped are only jealous,because they probably served.. the NYSC is useless and unprofitable…with the meagre sum being paid to corpers..pls it’s a laudable effort and they should see to it as soon as possible..