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“Silence is complicity. Speak now or surrender your ground.”
—Michelle Malkin
By Omoniyi Salaudeen
The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General YD Ahmed, is the last man standing on this column for this outgoing year, but for the wrong reason. Either by error of omission or commission, the current serving members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have been curiously excluded from the new national minimum wage recently approved by the Federal Government for Nigerian workers to meet the economic realities in the country. They are still expectant six months after the Federal Government had approved an upward review of the old N33,000 monthly allowances to N77,000, fueling suspicion of conspiracy within the directorate office in Abuja. This insinuation may not be unfounded because the root of misinformation is a lack of information. Somebody needs to speak up now to disabuse the minds of the distraught members of the public.
To be sure, NYSC corps members are neither direct employees of the government nor the private sector. Their engagement with the Federal Government is to fulfill the one-year mandatory service to the nation by Nigerian graduates. The scheme was established on May 22, 1973 by a former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), to “reconstruct, reconcile, and rebuild” the country after the Nigerian civil war.
The directorate is domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Youth Development with its headquarters in Abuja. Among other things, the programme aims to promote national development, foster national unity, and instill a sense of national consciousness among Nigerian youths.
Primarily, the objective of the scheme is to inculcate in the youths the spirit of selfless service to the nation and to engender a genuine spirit of oneness and brotherhood irrespective of their cultural or social background. Whether or not the scheme is still relevant in today’s changing circumstances is a debate for another day.
But for those in active service, it has been a tale of neglect, disdain, and reckless abandon. And it’s doubtful if Nigeria has not relapsed into the immediate past era of former President Muhammadu Buhari when government appointees treated public office with reckless abandon because of lack of supervision and effective mechanisms for feedback.
Statutorily, the safety and welfare of corps members are the direct responsibility of the Director General of the National Youth Service scheme. So, the failure of the concerned authorities to follow up on the implementation process for the newly approved allowances is a clear indication of dereliction of duty. It shows lack of concern for the plight of the corps members. While other employees of the Federal Government are already enjoying the new package, the DG appears to be contented watching the helpless youths starve amid the rising food inflation in the country. This is an insensitive way of dealing with a matter of national urgency. For this reason, the National Assembly needs to investigate this issue since the new allowances have already been captured alongside other beneficiaries in the 2024 appropriation bill. The public reserves the right to know what has happened to the money budgeted for the implementation.
Due to the combined effects of the fuel subsidy removal and the depreciation of the naira under the reform policy of the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s inflationary trend in 2024 had fluctuated, rising for the third straight month in November, soaring to a near 30-year high of 34.6 per cent. Why the directorate of the NYSC has decided to turn a blind eye to the prevailing economic situation in the country and left the serving corps members in the lurch beats every imagination.
From reports available, parents and guardians have had to spend their hard-earned income to augment the old allowances of N33, 000 which has become inadequate for sustenance for two weeks. This is not a palatable story. The latest increment comes five years after the monthly allowance was raised from N19,800 to N33,000, representing a 133 per cent rise to support the nation’s youths.
Even at that, economists believe that the actual value of N77,000 approved is considerably lower than the old allowance because inflation has diminished the purchasing power of fixed-income earners.
The challenge is more frightening for parents who can only imagine what the experience would be for their wards grappling with the daily rising food inflation in a strange environment where financial assistance may not be readily available.
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Expectedly, there was excitement within the rank and file of the corps members when the announcement was made that the increment would take effect in July. Regrettably, their joy is short-lived due to the lackluster attitude of the agency in charge of implementation.
A statement posted by the NYSC reads in part: “The Federal Government has approved the increment of corps members’ monthly allowance to Seventy-Seven Thousand Naira (N77,000) with effect from July 2024.
“This is in line with the enactment of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024. This was contained in a letter from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, dated 25th September 2024 and signed by the Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta.
“Prior to this, the Director General, NYSC Brigadier General YD Ahmed, had paid an advocacy visit to the Chairman in which he solicited for a robust welfare package for corps members.
“The NYSC boss is thankful to the Federal Government for the timely gesture and is optimistic that it will not only bring much-needed succour to the corps members, but also boost their morale and motivate them to do even more, in their service to the nation.”
Six months after the mouth-watering offer, anxiety is still mounting. Yet, there is no glimmer of hope that the Federal Government will make good its words to motivate the youths to give their best to their fatherland.
While it is worth noting that the DG had played an advocacy role that culminated in the approval of the new allowance, his failure to follow up on the implementation is an action worse than inactivity.
It is like aborting a pregnancy at the stage of delivery. By being indifferent to the dilemma of the corps members, the DG has killed the morale of the youths. He has wittingly or unwittingly aborted the joy that greeted the news about the allowance increment.
If care is not taken, many of these guys will come out of the service more disillusioned, more disenchanted and more distraught than they were before they went into it.
It’s only a question of time, such individuals, can only wait for the right opportunity to unleash their vengeful anger on a nation that treated them with such disdain.
No nation grows without the input of the youth. The primary import of the three-week orientation course for NYSC members at the camp is to motivate and prepare them for the onerous task of nation-building as the leaders of tomorrow.
However, Nigerian leaders have not been able to go beyond such sloganeering. They have failed to realise that the nation-building process requires a certain degree of preparation and orientation for the youth before ascendancy to leadership roles. And since there are no enduring values to learn from those leading the country, everybody only pledges rabid nationalism.
For a positive change of value orientation, there is an urgent need to inculcate an honest and genuine sense of purpose in the youth to motivate them toward building a united and prosperous country that will be the pride of all.
Sadly, the experience of the current serving corps members under the present circumstance is devoid of the values of open and transparent governance. This calls for sober reflection on the part of the NYSC leadership.
