NYSC And 1 Year Of Okore-Affia’s Strive
The
last one year of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) hatch man,
Brigadier General Nnamdi Okore-Affia, has been one of controversy and
achievement depending on interest and angle his tenure is been viewed
from. JOHN OBA, in this pieces opined that despite the odds, he seems to
have lived above board.
If there was anything most stakeholders at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have on its current director general, Brigadier General Nnamdi Okore-Affia, when he first resumed office a year ago as the 17th chief executive officer of the scheme, it was that he was only coming to mark time.
He came at a time when most Nigerians could not understand the rationale behind the existence of the scheme, when many thought the usefulness of the scheme to the Nigeria nation has been over spent and as such should be scrapped or be refocused so that it could meet the challenges of the 21st century. He came at a time when the security challenges facing the country threatened the core objectives of its establishment.
Since then, his tenure as the head of the scheme has been confronted with various challenges that have tested his administrative intelligence and competence. To some, he has done much, and to others, he has failed.
Okore-Affia took office and immediately announced that the scheme would establish a Distress Call Center (DCC) at the headquarters of the scheme to enhance corps security and easy communication between the corps members and the NYSC officials when in distress. The DCC, an IT-based system and innovation that seeks to put the Corps and security personnel on alert concerning distressed corps members.
It would have the corps members provide their data such as names, phone number, state codes, place of primary assignment, to be fed into the system, while addresses of security agencies within that area are sent by the state coordinators to the headquarters. This was commissioned by the former minister of Youth Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on February 17, 2012 and it immediately commenced operations.
When a corps member calls, his or her data page will appear on the screen, including the place of primary assignment. This, the DG said would enable the member get help on time since the nearest security agency is assigned to handle the distress call.
But that measure did not do much to assuage the fear of most Nigerians, especially the parents who had their wards posted to some northern states for the mandatory one year national service.
To assuage anxieties of Nigerians and even some state governments that it was wrong and inconsiderate to post their young graduates to parts of the country with dire security challenges, the DG stopped the affected states from holding orientation, even as he stressed that only the living can render service. He therefore ordered the redeployment of willing corps members to other states. Also, the training of corps members in martial art for self-defence was introduced, and has since commenced during the orientation.
Coming on the heels of this was the increase of the scheme’s administrative structure with the creation of four additional departments and one unit, and was approved by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
The creation of the additional departments and unit had earlier been recommended by a committee set up by the scheme to review its administrative structure, in line with current realities but this came to be immediately he assumed office.
With this development, the scheme now has 11 departments and 4 autonomous units. The departments include: Human Resource Management, Finance and Accounts, Planning Research and Statistics, Corps Mobilisation, Corps Certification and Corps Welfare and Inspection. Others are: Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, Procurement, NYSC ventures, as well as Community Development Service and Special Projects. The Units are: Press and Public Relations; Legal; Reforms and Audit. These departments have already started adding value to the scheme’s existence.
Taking the reform further, the scheme under his leadership reviewed the Orientation Course content for corps members, beginning from batch “A” 2012. The change in the content was necessitated by recent developments in the country which according to him were not envisaged by the founding fathers of the scheme. “Such challenges” according to him “included serious post-service unemployment and over-crowding of the orientation time-table with activities that were not very beneficial to the corps members among others”.
In line with the changes, the Director-General revealed that the president has approved a new posting policy for corps members that would be done on a four key sector basis to include health, education, agriculture and rural infrastructure. He called on other stakeholders, especially state governments to cooperate with the scheme in order to groom corps members whom he described as “premium assets” to play their role in national development.
Also, his passion for quality kits as he threatened to reject any contractor that supplies less quality kits and this has since reflected in the quality of kits the corps members currently received.
This thirst for quality is also being revealed by his passion for transparency, accountability and value for money in the procurement of goods and services.
But it has not been all rosy for the mulatto general, as his relationship with most staff of the scheme seems not be to so cordial. A case in view was the promotion crisis that made some staff to protest the lopsidedness in appointment in key positions which led to some staff petitioning the minister of Youth Development.
Speaking on the current crisis, a director in the scheme who did not want his name in print, said: “Well, I am one of those that wrote the exams, but I did not pass. I think the director general is just being transparent; he wants the right things done. So if people are complaining, that is their own problem. For me, he has not done anything wrong.”
But another said: “How come all those that were promoted were from his tribe; this is suspicious.”
A junior staff said: “I have nothing against him, but he is not so friendly to staff members like his predecessors.
Accessing his overall achievement, a stakeholder succinctly put: “He has performed well; putting into considerations the challenges the scheme was faced with immediately he took over, it will only take a seasoned administrator like him to be able to make any impact. With what is on ground now, he has the scheme in mind. I just wish he would remain focused and will not relent on his efforts to reform the scheme.”
If there was anything most stakeholders at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have on its current director general, Brigadier General Nnamdi Okore-Affia, when he first resumed office a year ago as the 17th chief executive officer of the scheme, it was that he was only coming to mark time.
He came at a time when most Nigerians could not understand the rationale behind the existence of the scheme, when many thought the usefulness of the scheme to the Nigeria nation has been over spent and as such should be scrapped or be refocused so that it could meet the challenges of the 21st century. He came at a time when the security challenges facing the country threatened the core objectives of its establishment.
Since then, his tenure as the head of the scheme has been confronted with various challenges that have tested his administrative intelligence and competence. To some, he has done much, and to others, he has failed.
Okore-Affia took office and immediately announced that the scheme would establish a Distress Call Center (DCC) at the headquarters of the scheme to enhance corps security and easy communication between the corps members and the NYSC officials when in distress. The DCC, an IT-based system and innovation that seeks to put the Corps and security personnel on alert concerning distressed corps members.
It would have the corps members provide their data such as names, phone number, state codes, place of primary assignment, to be fed into the system, while addresses of security agencies within that area are sent by the state coordinators to the headquarters. This was commissioned by the former minister of Youth Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on February 17, 2012 and it immediately commenced operations.
When a corps member calls, his or her data page will appear on the screen, including the place of primary assignment. This, the DG said would enable the member get help on time since the nearest security agency is assigned to handle the distress call.
But that measure did not do much to assuage the fear of most Nigerians, especially the parents who had their wards posted to some northern states for the mandatory one year national service.
To assuage anxieties of Nigerians and even some state governments that it was wrong and inconsiderate to post their young graduates to parts of the country with dire security challenges, the DG stopped the affected states from holding orientation, even as he stressed that only the living can render service. He therefore ordered the redeployment of willing corps members to other states. Also, the training of corps members in martial art for self-defence was introduced, and has since commenced during the orientation.
Coming on the heels of this was the increase of the scheme’s administrative structure with the creation of four additional departments and one unit, and was approved by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
The creation of the additional departments and unit had earlier been recommended by a committee set up by the scheme to review its administrative structure, in line with current realities but this came to be immediately he assumed office.
With this development, the scheme now has 11 departments and 4 autonomous units. The departments include: Human Resource Management, Finance and Accounts, Planning Research and Statistics, Corps Mobilisation, Corps Certification and Corps Welfare and Inspection. Others are: Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, Procurement, NYSC ventures, as well as Community Development Service and Special Projects. The Units are: Press and Public Relations; Legal; Reforms and Audit. These departments have already started adding value to the scheme’s existence.
Taking the reform further, the scheme under his leadership reviewed the Orientation Course content for corps members, beginning from batch “A” 2012. The change in the content was necessitated by recent developments in the country which according to him were not envisaged by the founding fathers of the scheme. “Such challenges” according to him “included serious post-service unemployment and over-crowding of the orientation time-table with activities that were not very beneficial to the corps members among others”.
In line with the changes, the Director-General revealed that the president has approved a new posting policy for corps members that would be done on a four key sector basis to include health, education, agriculture and rural infrastructure. He called on other stakeholders, especially state governments to cooperate with the scheme in order to groom corps members whom he described as “premium assets” to play their role in national development.
Also, his passion for quality kits as he threatened to reject any contractor that supplies less quality kits and this has since reflected in the quality of kits the corps members currently received.
This thirst for quality is also being revealed by his passion for transparency, accountability and value for money in the procurement of goods and services.
But it has not been all rosy for the mulatto general, as his relationship with most staff of the scheme seems not be to so cordial. A case in view was the promotion crisis that made some staff to protest the lopsidedness in appointment in key positions which led to some staff petitioning the minister of Youth Development.
Speaking on the current crisis, a director in the scheme who did not want his name in print, said: “Well, I am one of those that wrote the exams, but I did not pass. I think the director general is just being transparent; he wants the right things done. So if people are complaining, that is their own problem. For me, he has not done anything wrong.”
But another said: “How come all those that were promoted were from his tribe; this is suspicious.”
A junior staff said: “I have nothing against him, but he is not so friendly to staff members like his predecessors.
Accessing his overall achievement, a stakeholder succinctly put: “He has performed well; putting into considerations the challenges the scheme was faced with immediately he took over, it will only take a seasoned administrator like him to be able to make any impact. With what is on ground now, he has the scheme in mind. I just wish he would remain focused and will not relent on his efforts to reform the scheme.”
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