THE RECENT CASES OF NYSC CERTIFICATE SCANDAL: ANOTHER REASON FOR THE SCRAPPING OF THE SCHEME?

MOJOYINOLA ABD’AFEEZ

Definitely another reason!

Graduation came with joy. Two friends applied for the NYSC posting. They both chose places that are economically viable and security safe (Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt). But their hopes were dashed away when the NYSC officials released their posting, Salam was thrown in the mouth of bomb under the belly of AK49, Yola (a state where tint of Bokoharam can still be felt). Temi was posted to a village, Umoebu in Delta State , where potable water had deserted their mouth for long except on Christmas and New Year days. Sadness ruled their minds. Salaam accepted his fate but Temi who was posted to Delta said he didn’t like the environment and the people— Deltans. And since Temi’s father was a business tycoon in Lagos, he called his friends in the NYSC office. They reposted Temi to Abuja. 

Dear reader, despite that the story above is a fiction, it depicts the state of the NYSC. It is good that the NYSC was established on the aim that it will bring unity and patriotism among Nigerians. It is good it integrates Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and other ethnic groups. Through it, Chuckwu may eat Amala and Gbegiri with Ponmokika, Alao may munch Abachaa and Garuba can be garbed in Agbada. But if there is no equality in the posting and some “Big and long legs” can choose where they want to serve, doesn’t that negate one of the objectives of the scheme— unity? For it is very rare to see an Hausa man who will like to serve in Igbo land and an Igbo who will love to serve in Hausa land. The hatred of each other has a long history, from the Amalgamation period to the Civil War. Thus, the scheme which was established in 1973 after the War was aimed at fostering the unity. But have their officials not stabbed this aim? 

Just this year again, the news was around everywhere that the popular pop musician who is from the family of the best dancing senator, David Adedeji Adeleke (Davido) left the NYSC camp in Lagos for a concert in America. Despite that this negates the law that guides the NYSC, he has not been brought to book, perhaps on the basis that he is a Super Star and he cannot jeopardize his music career for a year teaching English in indigenous language.  But what of those who have deferred job opportunities , international fellowships , postgraduate degree offers and lots more, only for serving their nation? The truth is, one can not find the daughters and sons of these big politicians or “big people” standing under the scorching sun or being posted to rural areas where their water is gutter and sun is fire that cools the body. These are some reasons why some people think NYSC should really be scrapped. And these are why our argument do not tilt towards that direction, for it is already obvious that they are reasons. So, should recent cases of NYSC scandal be another reason for the scrapping of NYSC? Yes.

One of the requirements for getting employment in the public or private sector or being appointed in any political offices is the NYSC certificate. It is logical that the government takes such a step. Because I wonder who will choose to serve his nation when his nation is serving unemployment. I wonder graduates who upon their graduation see a job opportunity and will decide to serve their nation. I just wonder who service help. But thank God, the government makes it mandatory and attaches something important to it. If not, many will choose not to serve. But does the government really enforce the use of the NYSC certificate for employment? The various scandals concerning the NYSC certificate show whether the government really follows the law.

Recently, the Minister of Communication, Barr. Adebayo Shittu was said to have not engaged in youth service. He graduated from OAU at the age of 27 and, so, does not qualify for the Exception Certificate neither to hold any political offices. Similarly, the former Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun who graduated before the age of 30 resigned because she was found wanton of certificate forgery. This explains how the government has even made it unnecessary. For one wonders, if Adeosun and Shittu could pass through Ogun and Oyo Houses of Assembly, the Senate and the Department of State Security Service without being brought to book for forgery of the Exemption Certificate and not having the NYSC certificate, what then is the essence of the NYSC itself? If some people can skip the process and yet get employed, then why not scrap it and everyone made to be equal? 

In conclusion, the sole aims of NYSC are unity and patriotism. But to ask, has it really achieved these aims? Hausa and Igbo find each other’s existence as a threat. A Yoruba man still does not want to marry an Igbo girl. Tribalism is on the rise. Nigerians wake up everyday in poverty. Many graduates are unemployed. So, I ask you, tell me why NYSC should not be scrapped despite the sole aims of the scheme being scrapped?

YUSUFF, UTHMAN ADEKOLA

No! Not in anyway!

I, we, all of us humans, know very much well about certain things that just cannot work in certain life occurrences. Whereas some things might go together like the combination of bread and beans, some others can definitely not. Although the Yoruba names, ‘Ade’ and ‘Bade’, sound alike and can be considered near-homophones in the Yoruba linguistic parlance, ‘Bade’ can still be mistaken to be an English word, when in fact Ade can hardly be mistaken so. Hence, what seems to fit into a particular context might take the opposite turn for another. These then brings us to the fact of the popular Yoruba saying which literally reads: ‘One does not get rid of the head merely because it aches’. Even though we have cases of Euthanasia as final resort in some situations, the aforementioned Yoruba saying remains all-encompassing.

Based on the foregoing, I say with all emphases that the recent cases of NYSC certificate scandal do not culminate as another reason to clamour for the scrapping of the national service scheme. The good sides of the programme are ones that cannot be treated with contempt or overlooked. And we cannot shatter a whole tank of water, merely because it has been attacked by a growth of moss. We simply clean the tank and get rid of the mossy blemish. Neither would we dispose of a crate of eggs, simply because it consists of some bad eggs. No. We merely excise the spoilt ones and therefore save the crate, easily, without displacing the rest of the eggs that are not bad.

Ladies and gentlemen, the recent issues of NYSC certificate forgery, evasion and/or other scandalous actions by certain top political office holders in the country are already common news. Kemi Adeosun, the now former Minister of Finance, who resigned after some unyielding pressure from the public, is an example of such errant political leaders. She was alleged and confirmed to have forged an NYSC exemption letter, amidst some other controversial issues. Another recent case is that which concerns Adebayo Shittu, the current Minister of Communication also making a move for the Oyo State governorship seat, who has been found guilty of deliberate evasion of the obligatory national youth service. Now, these mentioned ministers are of the many bad eggs posing foully smelling  questions of doubt against the image of the NYSC yearly exercise. But are they bases enough for the abolition of the service corps?

My co-scribe might argue that the youth service scheme has become useless. He might claim that anybody can assume any political post without being hindered by his/her lack of an NYSC certificate. He might base his argument on the cases actually concerning Kemi Adeosun and Adebayo Shittu. Ladies and gentlemen, we must however understand that the NYSC already has a legal provision to tackle that. The two ministers are, ideally, to be sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, as stated by the laws guiding the National Youth Service Corps. It is, nevertheless, a crying shame that ‘This is Nigeria’ where, on a literary perspective, ‘everybody be criminal’. There are many evasive carpets and brooms around, all ready to sweep the case into oblivion. However, I ask, dear readers, has the NYSC not already had a law pursuant against the scandal? The ones who err should bear the brunt, not to the detriment of others.

No doubt, so many personal as well as inter-personal benefits constitute the significance of the yearly national youth service. So many that cannot all be mentioned. We can talk about exposure which ultimately brings about a wealth of experience, understanding, including learning, unlearning and re-learning. For better understanding, I will choose to be more practical here. Based on observations, one can confidently conclude that almost every Nigerian has one or two stereotypical beliefs about specific tribes. Many of these stereotypes are often products of hasty generalisations. We might say that people of a particular tribe are bad, stingy, unfriendly, rascally and the likes, despite having never lived in their society. Against all these, however, through the NYSC scheme, many a person has been cleansed of the contemptuous, stereotypic rot that has lingered for so many years in their minds.

On a final note, I must reiterate that decapitation is not the solution to a disturbing headache. The abolition of the NYSC is not the solution to the perturbing scandals and other woes besetting it. The fact of the unity which the scheme has always helped strengthen is in the superlative. Many wrong, peace-threatening opinions have been corrected through the inter-relational nature of the scheme’s activities. The importance of the feeling of a sense of belonging that also comes with the programme can neither be overstated nor understated. I hereby round off all my points by saying, the NYSC remains necessary for national homogeneity. I REST MY PEN!