SAM AMADI SAYS NYSC HAS FAILED ITS ORIGINAL PURPOSE
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By; Ganiyat Sunmola
The Director of the Abuja School of Social Thought and Politics, Sam Amadi, has argued that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme has fundamentally failed, saying it was effective in the past but no longer serves its original purpose.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Friday, Amadi attributed the decline of the scheme to what he described as “self-selection” by members of the elite, who often influence where their children are posted for national service.
According to him, the practice undermines the core objective of the NYSC, which was established to promote national integration by deploying graduates to different parts of the country.
“Most elites now self-select. I can’t tell everybody who calls me from my village that my son is going for NYSC. I want him in Abuja or Lagos. Everybody self-selects, and that defeats the fundamental framework of the scheme.
“The ministry supervising the scheme also lacks the resources to provide adequate protection. We have seen reports of young people dying during service, creating resentment among corps members, many of whom only participate because they have no immediate employment.
“I think we need to tell ourselves the truth that this scheme has failed fundamentally. It worked in the past, but Nigeria’s challenges today are no longer about understanding how people in Kebbi behave. We have had enough of those experiences and symbolisms. It is no longer an issue of statecraft,” he said.
Amadi also maintained that graduates should not be deployed to states facing serious security challenges.
He argued that national service postings should prioritise the safety and welfare of participants rather than ensuring every state receives corps members each year.
According to him, the scheme should be redesigned to focus on strategic national development and scaled down to reflect the country’s growing number of graduates.
“There is nothing honourable about sending graduates to unsafe places. If a state is unsafe, don’t deploy corps members there because the state loses nothing by missing one year’s deployment.
“The scheme was created at a time when Nigeria produced relatively few graduates, but today universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions produce far more graduates than before.
“I believe the programme should be suspended in some places and refocused on national needs. It should also consider not taking every graduate so that participation becomes competitive and regains its value as a national honour,” he added.
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