ON NYSC Passing Out Saga

Good morning guys and hope your weekend is going well.

So sorry your interesting Ibadan Lawyer reads haven't been as frequent as usual. I've been going through countdown exercises and ensuring i dot my Is and cross the Ts. They say first impressions last longer but the last days are most remembered.

In my countdown exercise, some young Nigerians decided to destabilize my calendar by posting some interesting "Memo" from NYSC issued on the 14th of September, 2016 and signed by one A.C. Ani acting on behalf of the Director General. Like the elections of 2015, the social media was the easiest way to pass across this message and have young Nigerians prove their worth.

Permit me to say this and if you don't share my view, you don't have to crucify me. But the following events after the posts went viral proved to me once again that the current Nigerian youths cannot change Nigeria. I prove it with the following:

My CDS Group Putting a Mark @ Agodi

The first reaction to the situation was to be selfish. Every Nigerian is selfish and is so quick to forget that there is a more national effect or rather communal effect to public actions than it affects them. So the typical question on a lot of young people's minds was "Am i Stream 2?" Once that was answered in the negative, the next action would be a grin and "e no concern me Stream 2 go sort themselves out". As long as the actions do not affect them negatively, its fine. Same way the man who does not have a car, does not buy fuel and doesn't have any international transaction be bothered that fuel prices are increasing and the dollar is on the increase.

Second is that hypocrisy that makes me cringe! Upon satisfaction of the above question, the next thing the Nigerian begins to try and form solidarity with the others knowing that if push comes to shove, they can deck out and get going leaving their friends stuck in policies that are wicked. So you hear calls, talks, comments like "it doesn't make sense sha, why would they want to do that? whatever the case God is in control". You see it is this silly resort to religiosity that makes the situation bad and we really need to come out of it.

Thirdly, the authorities have this great silence that can deafen you and even the right thinking youths cannot seem to know what to do about it and so they remain at the mercies of the hypocrites, misinformed and call them positivists. NYSC has a website, they have pages on social media and with the several questions and comments, not the Director General, the PRO, or even any other top official of the NYSC has decided to clear the air or issue a statement to confirm or rebut the position.

Fourthly, the ones affected by the seeming bad position remain quiet, confused, and ultimately take it as their fate. Here is what the society has put in the youths: fear, intimidation, timidity, and neglect. Its a culture the typical 18-25 year old has been built with. from the knowledge of dictators, failing systems, hike in prices, labor strikes and other heinous societal imagery, it is just obvious nothing can be done till we hear the verdict of the BOSSES.

Sigh!

So let me now tell you my take. First off is that I love the NYSC Program really. For me it was a long one year of a break from ACADEMICS (going to school for 6 consecutive years to bag an LLB and BL no be small thing). Apart from the big break it helped me discover a lot about my self spiritually, financially, emotionally and of course socially. I cannot advocate for the program to be scrapped and that is not what this is about. it is just a gist of a better future forged from saner administrative decisions and youth participation. Whether Nigeria would get better or not is a factor of how ready we all are to be collective in thinking and decisions to especially quit hypocrisy and religiosity but be deep in principles, morals and proper information management.

My NYSC posting letter gives me a probable date of release as 28th of September, 2016; my NYSC identity card is valid till 6th of October, 2016 and mind you it was given to me when i relocated to Oyo state and finalised the processes so that was about March this year. Of course i am stream 2 and the question i am asking is how would i be identified for the remaining one month starting october 7th to November 4th?

The reasoning is indeed laudable. We got into camp a month after the stream 1 so we should be made to stay one month later. But whose fault was it that i was mobilized with the second batch? i applied the same day another friend who was mobilized first stream and i was second stream. Meanwhile the trite principle of making administrative decisions commence with the next series of events and not the current one must still stand. If you don't understand i explain, when a law is put in place, it cannot be retrospective. Therefore, this Stream 1 and 2 reasoning can only apply to subsequent batches of Corps Members and not the current.

I should categorically state that i am a happy corps member. of course i am batch B stream 2 and i am sure someone just nodded in confirmation of the need for my bants and rants (i say to you, you are Nigeria's problem). I have serious plans to start a real life immediately after POP on the 6th of October and I am sure that it will so happen. But like the change we are talking about, i am not resigning to "fate" (that silly things Nigerians resort to to hide their mediocrity) i am also being proactive to prepare for the worse. I would make necessary petitions to call it off if it is true but i would also make serious Plan Bs to make sure life is interesting and moving on.

I am the new Nigeria, i ask questions, i am not hypocritical, i think rightly, i am young, energetic and smart, and I respect those in authorities with all my heart.

To the young people shrugging their shoulders saying it wont affect them, wait and see how other administrative decisions, silence of government and other acts condoned with such wave of insolence and convenience locates you. If we don't speak up and stand together, Nigeria remains 100 years behind the world. Youth participation begins from these small things, you don't wait till you are nominated by your Father's brother's inlaw in the Senate to come join them on the panel of "Padders" in purported occupation of the office of the Youth in the Legislature. You only become a figure head like some of our unnamed law makers.

We will succeed!!!!