It is no longer news that our youth corpers have been
posted to highly volatile states like Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau,
Kaduna and Kano once again. What baffles me is that such unfair decisions are being
made by people whose children are nowhere close to such places. It is enough trauma
for parents to send their children to higher institutions and they are not even
certain of when the child will be graduating {Save for private Universities}.
ASUU is a factor they have to battle with and that is if the institution doesn’t
experience internal crisis like student’s unrest and what have you. All these
contributes in ensuring a child who ordinarily should spend four years on a
course using up to six years studying the same course and that have given birth
to the saying tha ‘On gaining admission to a higher institution you spend 4+X
number of years’. Sounds like a joke but this is the reality we have found
ourselves in as a country.
After school, it is expected that the child must
undergo a year of compulsory service to the Nation and that is where the NYSC
scheme comes into play. Under this scheme, the graduate will to be posted to
any part of the country where he/she is expected to carry out duties as the
place of primary assignment dictates. Before now, this scheme didn’t pose any
threat to the lives of the youth corpers as their security was guaranteed
regardless of what state they have been posted to. Corpers were treated with so
much dignity and respect as the host community saw them as one of their own.
But since tribalism, ethnic difference and all sorts of
religious intolerance have begun to rear its ugly heads, the story has changed.
Corpers who used to be protected by members of the community have now become
preys of the same whenever conflict of any form arises. I remember the 2011
crisis which erupted in Bauchi State after our current president Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan was announced the winner of the presidential election. Some aggrieved
parties in Bauchi state decided to turn their grievances on the youth corpers
who at that time were serving in the state burning, killing, and maiming some
of them whilst a large proportion of them sustained varying degree of injuries.
All these happened despite the corpers running to the nearest police station
for succour. The Irate youths in this state overpowered the policemen on duty
and were able to lay hands on these youth corpers. Till today, I honestly do
not think anyone has been brought to book as the issue has been long forgotten.
Now with the seemingly insecure situations in these
volatile parts of the country, I just cannot believe that a government who
genuinely cares for the same citizens it has sworn on oath to protect will
insist these young and vibrant youths be posted to places where their security isn’t
guaranteed. Is anyone asking them why they haven’t brought their own children
to serve the land in such unsafe places?
I thought being leaders, they will lead by example and
allow their own children be posted to such places first then others can be
convinced that really what is good for the goose is good for the gander. But
NO, their children are safely tucked away in some foreign countries whilst they
watch other people’s children who have chosen to serve their country being
offered as sacrificial lambs on the altar of political/religious intolerance
What other definition of ‘UNFAIR’ can really match
this?
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