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WHO WANTS THE NYSC DEAD?

Published

5 years ago

June 18, 2020

By Rems Akinola

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was conceptualized as a veritable vehicle to galvanized national unity and integration, speeding up the healing process of a country just emerging from the pains of a bloody civil war which left in its wake great devastations in both human and material terms, on both sides of the conflict.

The birthing of the Scheme in 1973 was a follow – up to the three Rs of Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation pronounced by the by then Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon’s Administration at the end of the Biafra/Nigeria civil war in 1970.

The first set of Corps Members who commenced service in July 1973 were graduates of the then existing Nigerian Universities of the 1972/73 academic session who did so amid protests by the would-be Corps Members, their parents, and guardians. The students thought it’s not worth it, “wasting” a whole year to the so-called service to the nation, when companies were in a queue to employ them, with a guaranteed car loan and good life.

On the part of their parents and guardians, they felt that letting their sons and daughters travel to far-flung states constituted a heavy security risk, given that the wounds inflicted by the civil war were still fresh.

Notwithstanding the protests, the then Federal Military Government was resolute in going ahead with the establishment of the Scheme, having given due consideration to the perceived gains derivable from the Corps.

Therefore, 2364 graduates of the universities constituted the pioneer members of the Scheme, deployed to the then twelve states of Nigeria.

Interestingly, the Corps, having weathered so many existential storms has grown exponentially over the past forty – seven years, mobilizing currently for service over 300,000 Nigerian youths, hence making it the biggest youth – mobilization agency in the globe.

The question begging for answer is: After 47 years, who wants the Scheme dead, albeit instalmentally?

The traditional and new media were awash with the report of the Osibanjo – led Economic Sustainability Committee, recommending the suspension of the NYSC Orientation programme for two years. The Committee further proposed the deployment of Prospective Corps Members from their higher institutions of graduation, straight to states of service.

The position of the Committee, doubtlessly fraught with so many flaws is manifestly antithetical to the philosophy behind the establishment of the Scheme as the Orientation camp introduces the Corps Members to the service Scheme.

In fact, as an ex – Corps Member from the South West, a stakeholder of the Scheme that faithfully served in Niger State which broadened my horizon, I can aptly say that the Orientation camp is the launching pad for the one-year national service. It affords Corps Members a better understanding of the objectives of the Scheme; acquaints them with their environment in their political, cultural, social and economic setting, while preparing them for their particular roles in the Scheme.

The Orientation camp is a regimented environment which inculcates the spirit of discipline among the Corps Members — a primary ingredient needed for national rebirth, by subjecting them to military drills; and educating them on nationalistic issues.

Ordinarily, some of the youths wouldn’t have had the opportunity to travel to those places, save the scheme. But more importantly, it enables youths from across the country the opportunity to interact.

Above all, the Orientation camp lays the foundation for the much envisaged national unity and integration through the interaction of Corps Members from diverse ethnic groups, social strata, and religious backgrounds.

Lasting friendships cutting across tribe and religion have been built over the years; in addition to intertribal marriages that arose as a result of exposure to the Orientation camp. Who then wants the NYSC dead?

Sadly, over the years, the NYSC Scheme has remained a hapless head that receives underserved ruthless knocks from every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Most of the challenges besetting the Scheme are extraneous to it.

Truly speaking, I don’t envy the managers of the Scheme, especially the PR managers who usually have a lot of explanations to offer when NYSC suffers vicariously for other agencies’ failings.

For instance, if a Corps Member comes on harm’s way, even in his father’s house, as long as he’s a Corps Member, the Scheme must take responsibility for his fate.

The NYSC is blamed for every wrong thing in Nigeria, from unemployment to insecurity. Some people would often ask derisively: After NYSC, what next? The rhetorical question is borne out of the spiraling unemployment situation in the country which of course is not the making of the Scheme, as Corps Members can never be insulated from the vagaries of the economy.

It’s heartwarming to note that the Scheme answered the rhetorical question with the introduction of the NYSC skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development programme, which has in camp and post-camp components.

While in the camp, Corps Members are exposed to skill training in chosen skill sets and they continue with the training after the Orientation course.

From diligent investigation, a number of ex – Corps Members have been able to set up thriving businesses, arising from the NYSC skill acquisition programme.

I have a female cousin who studied Architecture, but today earns a living from the business of hat, bag, and shoe – manufacturing, employing, and mentoring four employees.

Therefore, cutting off the Orientation programme which I hold as a veiled attempt to reach the jugular of the Scheme, will be akin to dealing an unkind cut to the youths.

NYSC unarguably remains the major youth programme in the country, and no amount of resources expended on youth – development is a waste. The youths are the future of this country, and the future of this country should not be toyed with.

I hastily posit that I consider giving focus to the youths as one of the greatest achievements of the Scheme. The Orientation camp is like a crucible that changes the perception of an average Corps Member about life.

Is it not amazing that many cultists who drop the toga of cultism before entering the camp since the NYSC has zero-tolerance for cultism leave the camp after three – weeks with a refocused mindset, abandoning the figurative toga left at the entrance of the gate.

It’s still very doubtful that anyone who served the nation diligently as a Corps Member would support tinkering with the soul of the NYSC — the Orientation camp, unless for political expediency, as pundits have begun to give political coloration to the recommendation of the Osibanjo — led Economic Sustainability Committee.

Many have alleged that the Scheme has become an albatross for so many politicians that evaded service; therefore they must conspiratorially snuff life out of the Scheme insidiously.

Who wants the NYSC dead? The Scheme is a microcosmic Nigeria. Killing the Scheme in any guise is akin to piercing the heart of the nation with a hot knife, which after all may give the day to the promoters of separatist movements and tribal jingoists.

Nigerians are watching the President to know his reaction. Will he acquiesce to the recommendation of the Committee which on the face value appears innocuous, but in reality, a representation of a gold chalice, laden with poisonous venom.

The NYSC scheme is fulfilling its mandate and nothing should hamper its operations; if anything, it must be guarded jealously

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Business

Tax Reform Bills: The Verdict of Nigerians

Published

1 week ago

March 6, 2025

The Gleamer

Ismaila Ahmad Abdullahi Ph.D

The public hearings conducted recently by the two Chambers of the National Assembly have elicited positive responses from a broad spectrum of Nigerians, cutting across regional interest groups, government agencies, civil society groups, concerned individuals, the academia, and Labour Unions, among diverse others. Contrary to a few dissensions hitherto expressed in the media, almost all the stakeholders who spoke during the week-long sessions were unanimous in their declaration that the hallowed Chambers should pass the tax reform bills after a clean-up of the grey areas.

The public hearings were auspicious for all Nigerians desirous of economic growth and fiscal responsibility. They were also a watershed moment for the Federal Inland Revenue Service, which had been upbeat about the tax reforms. Indeed, the public hearings had rekindled hope in the tenets of democracy that guarantee freedom of expression and equitable space for cross-fertilisation of ideas. Without gainsaying the fact, the tax reform bills have been unarguably about the most thought-provoking issues in Nigeria today, drawing variegated perspectives and commentaries from even unlikely quarters such as the faith-based leaders, student bodies, and trade unions, which speaks much about the importance of the bills.

In the build-up to the public hearings, not many people believed that the bills would make it to the second reading, much less the public hearings. Even the Northern stakeholders who seemed unlikely to support the passage of the bills have softened their stance and have given valuable suggestions that would enrich the substance of the bills. The Arewa Consultative Forum came to the public hearings well-prepared with a printed booklet that addressed their concerns. It concluded with an advisory that the bills should be “Well planned, properly communicated, strategically implemented and ample dialogue and political consensus allowed for the reforms to be accepted.”

The concerns of ACF ranged from the composition of the proposed Nigeria Revenue Service Board as contained in Part 111, Section 7 of the bill, the unlimited Presidential power to exempt/wave tax payment as proposed in Section 75(1) of the bill, the family income or inheritance tax as contained in Part 1, Section 4(3) of the bill, to the issues around development levy and VAT. On the development levy, the ACF stated that unless the Federal Government is considering budgetary funding for TETFUND, NASENI and NITDA, it does not see the “wisdom behind the plan to replace (them) with NELFUND”.

The position of the North was equally reinforced by the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, Northern Elders Forum, Kano State Government, Professor Auwalu Yadudu, and the FCT Imams. Like the ACF, these stakeholders lent their respective voices to the Section on the Inheritance Tax in Part 1 of the bill and the use of the term ‘ecclesiastical’, which, in their views, undermines certain religious rights and beliefs. The Kano State Government, represented by Mahmud Sagagi, affirmed that “we support tax modernisation” but cautioned that “we must ensure that this process does not come at the expense of states’ constitutional rights and economic stability”. Professor Auwalu Yadudu, a constitutional law professor, drew attention to the use of the ‘supremacy clause’ and cautioned that the repeated use of “notwithstanding” in the bills would undermine the supremacy of the Nigerian constitution if passed as such.

Other stakeholders that made contributions at the sessions included the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Nigeria Customs Service, and a host of others. While most of their concerns bordered on technical issues requiring fine-tuning, they were unanimous in their support for the bills. They aligned with the position of the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, Ph.D. and the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, which is that the extant tax laws and fiscal regulations are obsolete necessitating reforms aimed at creating a fair and equitable tax and fiscal space to grow Nigeria’s economy.

In one of the sessions, Dr Zaach Adedeji expounded on the criss-cross of trade activities in the Free Trade Zone whereby companies misuse tax waivers as exporters to sell their goods or services in the Customs Area at an amount usually less than the price the operators in the Customs Area who pay VAT and other taxes sell theirs thereby disrupting business transactions. This way, the operators in the Free Trade Zone shortchange the government in paying their due taxes by circumventing extant regulations, which are inimical to the economy’s growth.

Overall, the presentations were forthright, foresighted, and helpful in elucidating the issues contained in the bills. According to the statistics read out at the end of the hearings at the Senate, 75 stakeholders were invited, 65 made submissions, and 61 made presentations. At the House of Representatives 53 stakeholders made presentations. By all means, this is a fair representation. Given the presentations, it is evident that the National Assembly has gathered enough materials to guide its deliberations on the bills. As we look forward to the passage of the bills, we commend the leadership of the National Assembly for their unwavering commitment to making the bills see the light of the day.

Abdullahi is the Director of the Communications and Liaison Department, FIRS.

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