Godwin Onuh Odeh
This piece is a response to the shocking news published by the Sahara Reporter on July 13, 2022, titled “Nigerian Senate Presidents’ Lawan’s “Stooge” Appointed NYSC Director-General Accused of Fraud.” It should be noted that Brigadier General Shuaibu took over as the 18th Director General of NYSC on May 10, 2019 and handed over to his successor, Brigadier General Mohammad Fada, on May 18, 2022, after a successful tenure. Isn’t it shocking to read what the Sahara Reporter published only forty-three days after taking office? As a result, the reaction. Three things spark the response to this very sad news. One is patriotic zeal; two is a decade of NYSC scholarship; and three is the fear and agony of undoing Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim’s epic and monumental achievement. Though distinct and distinct, the three reasons are intricately linked and bound by a cord of patriotism.
On the first handle, patriotism, defined as an insatiable love for one’s country, identification with it, and a special concern for its well-being and that of one’s fellow citizens, elicited the aforementioned response. This patriotism, while admirable, would be limited to NYSC engagement and operations. In nation building, unity takes the place of love, just as it does in any successful marriage. NYSC was built after Nigeria’s civil war to serve as a symbol of national unity and to promote it through youth mobilisation, particularly among graduates. “Youths constitute a dominant force for national mobilisation and growth, and as such have a crucial role to play in the all-important task of nation building,” acclaimed founder General Yakubu Gowon retired. This is clearly stated in paragraph (d) lines I to iii of the scheme’s founding objective, as follows: (d) to develop common ties among our youths and promote national unity by ensuring that:
i. as much as possible, youths are assigned to jobs in states other than their home states;
ii. each group assigned to work together is as representative of the country as possible;
iii. youths are exposed to the way of life of people in various parts of the country in order to remove prejudices, eliminate ignorance, and confirm firsthand the many similarities among Nigerians of all ethnic groups.
In accordance with the foregoing, and in order to fulfil one of the core mandates of NYSC as a graduate within the stipulated age of service, after graduation in 2007, I subjected my humble self to mobilisation in the spirit of patriotism and service to the fatherland. I received the State Coordinator’s Letter/Certificate of Commendation of Meritorious Service at the end of my service. Proponents of the scheme’s abolition argue that it is no longer relevant and that the laudable goal stated above has been achieved. However, I was elated when I saw a large crowd of corps members paying Sallah homage to His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Aliyu Magatarkada Wamakko, representing Sokoto North, at his residence on Monday, July 11, 2022. In his greetings, he mentioned the 36 states of the federation, including Abuja, FCT, where corpers were believed to be from. He then instructs them to respect the host community’s culture. When corps members visited the Sokoto State Government House, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal did the same. Patriotism and national unity are thus still at the forefront of the NYSC operation, and it is effective. As a result, bad news and a very wrong, unpatriotic, and uncreative leader or DG would jeopardise this timeless goal.
The second handle addresses issues raised by over a decade of personal scholarship in NYSC and Youth Studies. Patriotic zeal and scholarship would lead to my first NYSC publication, “The National Youth Service Scheme and the Challenge of Nation Building in Nigeria, (1973-2008).” My passion for NYSC and the country was reflected in my Master’s and PhD dissertations, titled “A Historical Survey of NYSC Community Development Scheme in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, 1983-2010” and “Nigeria NYSC’s Role in the Founding of The Gambia National Youth Service Scheme, 1996-2004.” On NYSC alone, I have well over a dozen reputable publications (including books, book chapters, and journals) aside from a special piece on national dallies arising from keen observation and interest in the scheme’s affairs and patriotic service to the nation. The upcoming book, “Shuaibu Ibrahim: Iconic Years in NYSC,” is already in the works. It is therefore painful for a man who has invested much time, emotion, strength, and resource to see something going wrong in NYSC, especially one whose special volume is currently in the press and about to be unveiled to the public.
The third and final handle is the agony of undoing Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim’s recent monumental accomplishments. As previously stated, it would soon be published in a single volume for posterity. From evidences gleaned from core areas such as General Information, Youth Mobilization for Nation Building, Community Development Development Service and Rural Development, Language Studies, Health Education and Services, Social Education, Programme Evaluation, Scheme Appraisal, and others, Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim’s years stand out, and he appears taller than many previous director generals given his epic achievement in the face of the most dreadful coercion. Within his first two years in office, he initiated and was captured in over 45 development strides. Initially, it was thought that he would only be comparable to the much-lauded Colonel Akpan and Momoh, but by the end of his tenure, he had surpassed all of his predecessors. Against the backdrop of this groundbreaking record, pundits and scholars expected him to be granted the singular privilege of having a tenure extension of at least one year to usher NYSC into the much awaited Golden Jubilee (50th Anniversary) in May, 2023. Unfortunately, he stepped down, most likely due to his promotion to the rank of Major General while leading the scheme, whose leadership appears to have been dominated over the years by officers of lower cadre (rank of Colonel and Brigadier General).
Whatever controversy Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim’s departure may have caused given the very high leadership standard he has set for subsequent national leadership of the scheme, the fact remains that NYSC is no longer an oasis to rest and enjoy as it once was, but a place for particularly patriotic military officers of high premium and creative minds capable of addressing the multifaceted challenges of the teeming graduate youth and of the nation. Fada has undoubtedly inherited very large leadership shoes to fill. Whether the allegation is true or not, Brigadier General Mohammed Fada should stand or be forced to sit in order to carry on the legacy of his predecessor and achieve the noble ideal of NYSC.
