NYSC- Where have all the corpers gone?

14^th November 2013

 Dear Journal,

It is no news that the current batch of corps members are currently in orientation camps having their first taste of the NYSC scheme. As I smiled at display pictures change with the standard all white attire that characterise corps members in camps, I took a ride through memory lane.

I remembered my days in camp and how much fun it was. My camp experience was beautiful and I met some interesting people at Obubra, Cross River where I served. However, I also had sad moments that made me question the importance of the NYSC scheme. Here is a peek into my frame of mind after the death of corps members in Bauchi, 2012.

“As I read about the burial of nine National Youth Service Corps Members in Bauchi State, My heart bled.  It was with dread, which has remained unabated till now, that we saw the stories about the NYSC members, detailing their sanguinary last hours. The horror of the inhuman and barbaric manner in which these young people, doing their duty by serving their fatherland, were massacred to death is beyond anything mere words can express. When will this end? I kept asking, but no answer came to mind. As tears coursed down my cheeks, I wondered if the pioneers of this scheme had foreseen the pain and mental torment that would come in future when they championed the scheme on 22^nd of May, 1973.

The essence of the Nigerian Youth Service Scheme was to establish a platform for mobilizing young people in early stage of leadership to learn to appreciate the diversity of Nigeria as a nation and ensure National Integration. This honourable scheme was to help youths from all parts of the country learn to appreciate the different cultures inherent in the country.

Right now, that is not the case. It seems to me that this feat cannot be achieved again seeing the situation confronting us. In the North, we hear about the deaths of corps members who were burnt, kidnapped, raped and finally killed in the course of duty. How long will this continue before the Director-General and his crew decide they have to do something about the deployment of corps members to the North.

How do we tell the parents of these vibrant youths that the evidence of all their sacrifices is gone? How do we console a mother whose only child has died? How do we tell families that their dreams concerning their children have been shattered? How do we teach the upcoming corps members to appreciate the cultures of other people especially the Northerners when there is so much loathing and contempt in their hearts?

I think the Minister of Youth Development should not worry about corps members posted to banks and other urban areas and worry about deploying corps members to peaceful regions of the country. States like Cross River, Rivers, Edo, Imo, Abia and a host of other places should be the kind of places where corps members should be sent. Besides being peaceful, there is so much to learn about their cultures and traditions and so much development that can be made to make these regions better places”.

Looking back to the above article, I do not think that my disposition has changed at all since then. For now, we have not heard a repeat of those deaths and we pray for continued peace. May the souls of the departed corps members rest in peace.