NYSC was created in 1973 primarily for the purpose of National Integration. Looking at where we are now economically, there’s a need to restructure this program . Why should a Nigerian youth go through the program for a year and come out to no jobs but can’t afford to start a small or medium enterprise?

Many young people who finished NYSC and have no jobs are good at baking but can’t afford to buy the basic machines and equipment for small scale baking. Many are great makeup artists but can’t afford the kit after NYSC. Many graphic artists can’t buy computers or printing machines. Many photographers can’t buy cameras. But all these young people went through the NYSC program, were all paid 33,000 naira for the 11months but came out with nothing. Yes, they had to rent apartments, pay transport fares, feed, clothe themselves etc. many end up spending the whole time and still come out Capital Disabled. 

This idea is giving the government an opportunity to make our youths Capital Enabled to start various small or medium enterprises. We can give Corp members the cumulative of what we should pay them in 11 months after the 3 weeks camp. It gives them a better opportunity to start something for themselves.

Thousands of youth Corp members face a lot of insecurity during the 11months Youth Service in Nigeria. Here they work for different institutions in random places irrespective of the security structures of these places. The government gives them an allowance of 33,000 naira every month and most of them are expected to pay for apartments, pay electricity bills and transportation through the 11 months. How does this support the increase in Small and Medium Enterprises that we seek? 

Many end up dead in accidents as they commute and many others end up wasting this time of their lives just to start from the scratchafter the service period. To start something they will need to go through a period of very hard savings to get machines and all they need to equip their business venture. 

Imagine what can be achieved when we train these youths on viable skills in camp and empower each of them with the sum of 363,000 after camp. 

Many youths will start off their businesses and create a lot of economic activity. Photographers will get their equipments, designers will get printing machines, make up artists will get their kits, event planners will get many things they need to start, programmers will buy computers etc. 

NYSC tries to achieve national integration but this purpose mostly ends after NYSC camp. After that a huge percentage of the youths can’t just wait to get back to where they came from. But we can give our youths a week or two to carry out community development services in their place of primary assignment and then sign out fully empowered to start a profitable venture. 

This too can save the country a lot of cost.

Let us all sign this and show we support the restructuring of the NYSC program. We need the House of Representatives to see reasons with us as this will help start a process towards changing the NYSC act. Let’s push to #RestructureNYSC