Since the inception of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, 41 years ago, a lot has happened to make people argue for and against its relevance and benefits to the Nigerian youth. The history of the NYSC is indeed replete with momentous events. For some of us, commenting on issues like this is more than just writing. It’s a way to wake up, to calm down, to spark an idea, and to share a story. And this is the story of the transformation going on right now in the NYSC.
I recall when the present Director General of the NYSC, Brigadier-General Johnson Olawumi, assumed office, he clearly highlighted the path he wanted his administration to take. He gave a very brilliant four-point agenda aimed at increasing the impact and relevance of NYSC by improving the service content of the scheme, enhancing the welfare and safety of corps members and staff; expanding partnerships for greater impact, funding and support for the scheme; and increasing the visibility and relevance of the scheme.
Pursuant to the second agenda, which is ensuring the welfare and safety of corps members, the DG recently paid a visit to Corps Member Babatunde Oluwagbenga, with Call-up Number: NYSC/LUT/2014/246634. According to news reports, Babatunde was involved in an auto accident alongside five of his colleagues on their way to the NYSC orientation camp in Bayelsa State. The visit by the DG showed the premium placed on the lives of corps members.
I gathered that the DG was in Benin on his nationwide tour of orientation camps when he heard about the unfortunate incident. News reports said he made a detour to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital where the injured corps member was being treated. But that is not all there is to it. He actually ordered the payment of the victim’s medical bills, which he could have done by instruction and not necessarily visiting physically. He could have sent the Edo State Coordinator of the NYSC to monitor the situation and report back to him. But no, he visited himself, which I think was exemplary. That in itself was a statement of two uncommon folds: translating words to action.
Still on the issue of enhancing the welfare and safety of corps members and staff, I have it on good report that the DG on numerous occasions has stated that the safety of corps members is paramount and non-negotiable. He has also said that the NYSC will continue to do everything to keep corps members safe and secure and to respond promptly to anyone of them who is in distress in any form.
We were all witnesses to the unfortunate events of 2011 where some corps members in the North lost their lives in the post-election violence of that year. The memory isn’t something we can wish away easily. The nation mourned. And questions were asked. Answers were provided, though not satisfactorily. I think the NYSC has realised that corps members are vulnerable to attacks, hence the premium placed on their safety and welfare at all times. And the visit of the DG to the injured corps member consolidates this view.
I also understand that during the orientation exercise, all camps have had security personnel doubled with the military, police, SSS, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps collaborating to provide adequate security for corps members. In addition, after the orientation exercise, the NYSC provided the various state police commands and the state security service commands with the location of lodges of corps members in case of emergencies. There is also the distress call centre that was established for corps members to use in times of distress. This should be good news for parents and guardians, especially given the security situation in the country.
The distress call centre can best be described as innovative. I gather it works this way: when corps members are deployed to their places of primary assignment, their full data such as names, phone number, states code and places of primary assignment, and addresses of security agencies within that area are sent by the state coordinators to the NYSC headquarters. The information is then uploaded into the scheme’s database. In times of distress, when a corps member calls with the registered phone number, his or her data page will appear on the screen. Security operatives within the vicinity would then be notified immediately.
What can be more reassuring than this? Play back this scenario to the 2011 post-election violence. Imagine the number of lives that would have been saved by a mere phone call before evil befell them. And the nation would have been saved the agony of the bizarre event. But there is no point agonising over what cannot be undone.
However, it is comforting to know that more than ever before, the lives of corps members are more secured, and that their welfare is being given the utmost attention it deserves. By building on what he met on the ground and adding his own thrust and touch, the NYSC boss has started well. We can only wish he sustains the tempo and continues to introduce cutting-edge innovations to make the NYSC a more responsive organisation.
VANGUARD
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