How To Break Up Nigeria (HTBUN)
by Don Pedro
In light of the recent tragedy in Northern Nigeria during the April 2011 elections, especially after the announcement of the presidential election results and the deaths of many citizen including 10 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), there had been call from some quarters of the country for a review or total break up of the NYSC programme.
At this moment, almost everyone is upset at the spate of the avoidable deaths of these youth corps members in the northern areas of the country. For one, the participation of these young men at a critical point when we needed a body that is neither partisan nor sympathizer to any of the election participants was a ground breaking achievement which was evidence in the election results.
But should the NYSC be scrap because of this one flaw?
Should the NYSC be scrap because of security challenge?
What was the aim of the programme and what are we putting in place as substitute?
The NYSC was instituted in 1973, after the Nigerian Civil War, for the purpose of integration of aggrieved tribes,
To foster cooperation among the many ethnic tribes,
To build a united Nigeria through the future leaders' understanding of their neigbhouring tribes across the country.
So, in an Igala family (Kogi State) of five (5), the 1st served in Niger-Delta, the 2nd served in Maiduguri, the 3rd served in Ogbomosho, the 4th in Sokoto, the 5th in Enugu. They would have relate their experience among themselves, the people, their culture, way of life etc so that when one of them come across a Yoruba man, he will be able to get along fine with him.
So, should we scrap the NYSC? If 'yes', then, what means is in place to build a united Nigeria?
If it is true that the NYSC challenge is a security challenge then, the argument should not be 'scrapping the scheme' but holding the security outfit responsible for lapses in their failure to perform their duties.\
Where were the security operatives during the mayhem? Or were the CITIZEN too powerful for the security men, with guns, to handle?
Were the security operatives part of the 'people' that perpetuated these act of acrimony?
Who says the security men were not paid to look the other way for a while? Or didn’t we all read Ukeoma AikFavour's last blog on facebook?
Who says those behind the sponsoring of these act are not the same calling for the scrapping of the NYSC in other to create a distraction from what we should be investigating?
Are we new in Nigeria, can an ordinary citizen, even a tout, pick up an axe because Jonathan had cheated Buhari and others will follow? Or is it not one 'man' with money to throw around who usually organise his 'boys' to go and 'deal' with a section of the town because they disturbed then from manipulating the result?
Are we looking at the right places for answers?
Many, like Alex Akinyele, had voiced their opinion that Corp members should be posted within their region of origin.
In a country, like Nigeria, where we fight regionalism everyday, and what then are we trying to promote?
As put forward by the Senate spokesman, Ike Ekweremadu that the NYSC programme should be delete from the section of the Constitution and placing it as an Act of Parliament with a revamped (overhaul) structure.
Doing so will only guarantee one thing, a scheme with a paper weight that can be kick around anyhow by anyone when he or she feels like.
Like electricity that we rather go for importation of generator,
Like car plants that we close down for Japan mades,
Like those trains with their beautiful melody that is just a myth today,
Like Ajaokuta steel plant that exist only by name, another challenge look us in the eyes in form of this NYSC incident and the only solution we can come up with is to scrap it.
Let us think before we act, not act before we think.
When Nigeria experienced some terrible air disasters, did we abandon travelling by air? No! Recapitalization came, some planes were ban which resulted in many operators buying new ones and today, what do we have?
Restricting corps members to be serving in their region of origin will do the country no good than brewing a more complex problem that may consume us all - REGIONALISM
Scrapping the scheme will create a vacuum. A vacuum of national service, patriotism, fatherland sacrifice which is very essential in a leader.
So, let us get it underway, let us do away with one scheme, NYSC, and bring about another How To Break Up Nigeria (HTBUN)
Don Abiodun Odedeyi (Don Pedro)
Awesome analysis...
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