Nigeria: A Nation’s Planlessness Is Wasting Away Youth Lives

By Olugbenga Ogunmoyela

In recent months, it should have become very clear to every discerning mind that almost every family must be sharing in the present burden of our youths, many thousands of who have been “sitting at home” some for upwards of close to two years or more after graduation, without being able to mobilise for the National Youth Service Corps Scheme. There is seeming confusion in the land and no one seems to care; no one sees the social and health dangers that are looming in this national burden.

For example, I have seen a number of brilliant young minds idling away, waiting for NYSC mobilisation. I have a very brilliant nephew who studied Applied Mathematics with Statistics in one of our Universities and graduated with a First Class Honours and has not been called up for over one year for NYSC and yet cannot be gainfully engaged or employed because of the archaic law that prohibits our graduates from being employed without the NYSC Certificate.

While this is now a common fate for many such graduates, whether from Public or Private Universities and even those returning from abroad after their studies, it is clear that the NYSC scheme is presently in shambles and needs to be overhauled after 52 years of operation.

I can recall that I was part of the third set of the scheme in 1975 and I have seen how it has deteriorated significantly over the years. Why is this? Simply, and I dare say, it’s due to our planlessness. We adopt a last minute “fire fighting” approach to everything and wait until a problem boils over perhaps so that we can throw ten times the amount that prevention would have required. In fact, anyone who analyses the entire Nigerian landscape critically will see how planlessness has become the bane of every sector.

But who cares, or who listens? Arrogant public officials will rather read political meanings to sincere and genuine criticisms, because who dares challenge them when they are the ones who know what’s good for us and they are the ones in charge of policy; and they are untouchable, unless a problem affects them directly.

This is why our youths are “wasting away”. And unfortunately, these are not even the millions of uneducated youths, but those that their parents, guardians, and even communities have laboured to train and should be contributing to our earnest desire to contribute their quota to revamping our economy.

Let’s examine how we have come to this unfortunate situation. We went from about 60 Federal, State, and Private Universities to about 180 without thinking the likely consequences, especially the available infrastructure, the need to anticipate the impact on a scheme like the NYSC which was started when we were not producing up to 2000 graduates per annum in 1973! And the laws have neither been examined or modified. Kudos to the Minister of Education who has put a halt now to new Universities.

Even Google acknowledges that we now produce approximately 600,000 to 675,000 graduates from our universities and polytechnics each year. Rather than being an asset to our workforce and national productivity, this substantial number of graduates is not only contributing to the country’s unemployment challenges even after the NYSC but a different set of health challenges because we never planned for this in the first place! This is even apart from finding it difficult to secure formal employment in the economy even after completing the NYSC!

The time has come for the Executive and Legislative arms of government to rise up to their responsibilities! It’s not everything that should wear the “political lens” if we want to see real progress in this country. It’s bad enough that the “untouchable” Legislature is “milking us dry” without anything to show for it. And the youths themselves have been “dispersed” in the aftermath of the EndSars Protests and Massacre of a few years ago.

Little wonder why they are weary and many are frustrated and facing mental health challenges. It’s time for well-meaning voices, and especially our Press, to come out and let their “periscopes” begin to focus on the real problems of today, rather than the ridiculous sensationalism of inconsequential issues like “Natashaism” or the “ musical chairs” and insincerity of unending coalitions in our political class!

Let’s not wait until things get out of hand among our youths for them to be able to find meaningful engagement or employment without the NYSC encumbrance which has unfortunately outlived its usefulness in its present laws and operational structure in today’s Nigeria!
*Prof Ogunmoyela is President of the Consumer Advocacy For Food Safety And Nutrition Initiative (CAFSANI), based in Lagos.