Every year, graduates are sent to various locations across the country, to undergo a mandatory service to the government. Some are made to serve in industries totally different from what they studied for. An example is the education sector, while the lucky others work at places aligned with their courses of study. What does life after NYSC look like?
Life after NYSC
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was established in 1973 during the military regime and its sole aim is to infuse the youths into the development of the country. Only persons under the age of thirty are eligible and it lasts for a year within which these youths are paid an allowance for sustenance.
Currently, the amount paid to corp members is N33,000 and in this harsh economy, one begins to wonder how they sustain themselves. Usually, the states to which they are posted are far from home. Hence, several costs sprout — rent, feeding, transportation, and more. Also, medical costs are incurred as well. There have been cases of youths redeploying because of health and insecurity concerns. Some even lose their lives in the process.
In the end, several questions beg to be answered. Is it worth it? Are these youths employed immediately after service or do they become small-scale entrepreneurs to survive the economy? From the recently concluded NYSC set are four of our subjects who shed light on their expectations vs. their reality.
First, what was NYSC like?
When Ubong Kingsley, 28, and a graduate of Banking and Finance, boarded a night bus to Plateau state for his service last year, he had no idea what life had in stock for him. But he’d soon realize that in fact, there were experiences awaiting him. In his words, “it was a mix of emotions”. First, he was posted to Plateau state but the insecurity jarred him towards an automatic redeployment to Osogbo, Osun State.
For Okworonjo Justice, 25, and Adebayo Precious, NYSC was “good”. The 25-year-old who studied Agricultural Extension and Management says the people at his Primary place of assignment (PPA) were accommodating while Precious who served at the NTA networking centre, Jos, mentioned that she “explored and coped.”
Do they miss receiving an allowance from the Government?
Akinola Oluwaseyi, a graduate of Economics who served at Osun state doesn’t think she misses the allowance and Kingsley is quite indifferent about it as well.
“The money wasn’t sufficient for me but I miss seeing FG/NYSC as alert descriptions,” Precious replies.
On a scale of 1-10, how are they surviving this harsh economy: Expectations vs. Reality
Kingsley says there’s no scale at all, he isn’t coping in any way, especially as inflation has hit the roof. He fears his age is higher than the maximum required age for entry-level employees in Nigeria. “It’s a big turndown for me but I’m not seeing it as a barrier,” he says.
On a surprising hand, however, Justice prepared ahead for post-NYSC. He saved up during his service and says he hopes it sustains him for three months and also hopes he gets a job before then.
For the women, they stand on a scale of 8. Their expectations almost equal their reality and according to Oluwaseyi, she expected the hustle as well.
Life after NYSC – What’s next for the ex-corp member?
While the men hope to get a job soon, Oluwaseyi wants to find a place in society “without wasting time” and Precious wants to further her education by going for her MSc.
This article was written by Sola Tales