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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NYSC IN NIGERIA AND HOW TO QUALIFY
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a program or scheme established by the Nigeria government. In other, for Nigerian graduates to involve in-country development and nation-building within a period of one year before passing out.
The program consists of four main segments in which all the corps members must go through before such individual is qualified to issue a national service certificate.
The service year, therefore, comprises of Orientation Courses, Primary Assignment, Community Development Service, Winding – Up/Passing –out
ORIENTATION COURSE
The service year normally starts with a compulsory three weeks orientation cause for all Nigeria graduates seeking for national service. The main objective of the three weeks cause is created to obtain the following:
- Since they are just new into the system, the orientation course will give them the insight to understand the main objectives of the scheme.
2. To enhance them with useful social and headship skills that will help them withstand the challenges they may face within the service year.
3. To help the new member get to know their environment better in terms of economic, social, cultural, and political setting.
4. To absorb them with the spirit of collective That is the spirit of tolerating one another.
5. To instill in them enough mental and physical training
6. To get them ready for their main role in the scheme.
For the commencement of the orientation course, a swearing-in and opening ceremony are conducted by the executive Governor of the State and FCT Minister. The chief judge of the State/FCT also administered The oath of Allegiance and the National Pledge.
The content of the orientation course includes lectures on the people and tradition of the host State, professional lectures for Corps health personnel’s, lawyers, teachers, Skill acquisition training, training, and drills.
They partake in a lot of activities suchlike drama and dance competitions, Miss NYSC, and Mr. Macho. They also partake in intergroup competitions suchlike table tennis, volleyball, football, cooking, and sanitation.
Corps members are also trained on Man ‘O’ War activities leading to competitions on inter-platoon drills and tug of war.
PRIMARY ASSIGNMENT
After the orientation is concluded members are dispatch to their primary place of assignment. whereas the management takes control of the areas of specialization of Corps members carrying out the posting exercise, the emphasis is placed in rural posting in the areas of Agriculture, Health, Education and Infrastructure.
It is expected that Corps members should accept their posting and be agents of change contributing to the development of their host communities.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICE
The Community Development Service (CDS) take control and make good use of the innovativeness, creativity, and skills of corps members. They are to be able to know the needs of the community hosting them and then organize other members to go on board with the projects.
However, a lot of communities has benefited from this development service. Because many of this corps were able to construct health care centers, classroom blocks, market stalls, culverts, bridges.etc.
they had also carried out projects like HIV sensitization, adult literacy campaign, extra-mural classes for students, road safety campaign etc. Corps members participate actively in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) through the War Against Poverty (WAP) programme of the scheme.
WINDING –UP/PASSING-OUT
At the end of the service year (usually at the 12th month) corps members are gathered in their respective zones for assessment of the service year and debriefing. It is the period when Corps members present their final clearance letters from their employers and submit the same to their Zonal/Local Government Inspectors.
Parade rehearsals are conducted in readiness for the passing-out ceremony which is usually presided over by the Executive Governor of the State. During the ceremony, those with an outstanding performance during the service year are given State Honours Award. For a Corps member to merit an award, he/she must be outstanding in the orientation course, primary assignment, community development service, and winding –up exercise.
