Service In a "Not so Father(ly) Land"

                                       

                                    Service In a "Not so Father(ly) Land"




After almost two weeks away from the blog, i realized i have got a lot of things to rant about, from the deplorable condition of my country's educational system, to the inherent security challenges faced in the northern part of my country, but i think I'll just start from one point before jumping to the other.

  I'd like to start with the conditions under which some youth corp members live in some states in the country. It is important to note that since the inception of the N.Y.S.C (National Youth Service Corp) in the late 60's, the aims and objectives of the scheme has waned in achieving its goals over the years. The idea of fostering national integration as the founding fathers thought has been undermined by the various happenings in the country in recent times.

      After camp, it is only normal for the newly inducted corp members to be taken down to the nearest corper's lodge to their various places of primary assignment, to make it easy for them to report to their places of work. it is however very disturbing to note that these structures that serve as "lodges" in some states are in the most appalling shape. a strong case in point is the corper's lodge in Afon, under Asa local government in Kwara State. The story is a pathetic one, looking at the buildings, one can only wonder whether the N.Y.S.C has no provisions for the maintenance of such buildings. imagine what would run through the mind of a freshly deployed corp member from another state entirely who has no relations in such a state; the horror of having to live in such an environment for a whole year is not the most encouraging of things.

     I was at the lodge to take in the sights, and i tell you, even animals should not be kept in such a place. The buildings look like they have not been touched since when it was built after the creation of the state itself, (since 1967!). It is sincerely saddening that some corpers are made to live under such conditions. I do hope that the Federal government through the administration of the N.Y.S.C would make attempts to provide better accommodation for corp members, taking into consideration the fact that most of them are miles away from home.