Statism, Youth and Civic Imagination: A Critical Study of the National Youth Service Corps Programme in Nigeria

Appendices

Nigerian Newspapers Consulted This Day, Nigerian Tribune, Daily Times, The Post Express, New Age, The Independent, Daily Sketch, The Guardian, New Nigerian, The Punch, and The Vanguard. Appendices Appendix 1: The NYSC Anthem Youths obey the Clarion call Let us lift our nation high Under the sun or in the rain With dedication and selflessness Nigeria is ours Nigeria we serve Members, take the great salute Put the Nation first in all With service and humility NYSC for the noble youths Make Nigeria a great nation. Far and near we come to serve And to build our Fatherland With oneness and loyalty NYSC for unity Hail Nigeria our great nation. Statism, Youth and Civic Imagination 72 Appendix 2: NYSC Pledge In pursuance of our aspiration to build a united, peaceful and prosperous, hatefree ,egalitariansocietyandagreatnationandofourmotto‘ServiceandHumility’. I,…………................................………………………………………………………………… (NAME OF MEMBER) Member of the National Youth Service Corps …. (Year) hereby pledge to follow at all times the leadership of those in authority irrespective of their social and educational background and in particular I shall: (a) At all times and in all places think, act, regard myself and speak first as a Nigerian before anything else; (b) Be proud of the fatherland, appreciate and cherish the culture, traditions, arts and languages of the nation; (c) Be prepared to serve honestly, faithfully and, if need be, pay the supreme sacrifice for the fatherland; (d) Be well-informed about the history, geography, economy and the resources of Nigeria; (e) Regard fellow Nigerians as my brothers and sisters and myself as my ‘Brother’s keeper’; (f) Have a healthy attitude to work and play. I shall not only be ready to work in any part of the country to which I am deployed, but also genuinely identify myself with the problems and aspirations of the people of the areas in which I work; (g) Tackle difficulties and challenges in a disciplined and self-reliant manner , constitutionally pursuing grievances and properly channelling such for redress; (h) See myself always as a leader who must give effective leadership by my transparent honesty and selfless service; (i) Detest and shun bribery and all forms of corruption and nepotism; (j) Be courteous and polite to all and sundry; 73 Appendices (k) Be obedient without being slavish; and (l) Always remember the motto and strive continuously to live up to the ideals of the National Youth Service Corps during and after my service year. SohelpmeGod .................................................................................................................. CORPS MEMBER NYSCCallupNo.ofCorpsMember............................................................................ StateRegistrationNo.ofCorpsMember...................................................................... Date........................................................................................................................................ Sworn to at the National Youth Service Corps Orientation Camp. This..................................dayof..................................(Year)................................. Beforeme............................................................................................................................... CHIEF JUDGE Statism, Youth and Civic Imagination 74 Appendix 3: The Impacts of NYSC Experience on Corps Members Acknowledgedeffectsbyparticipants Rating by participants (%) 4 3 2 1 1 -hasprovidedopportunityformeto knowotherpartsofthecountrybetter(%) 57 22 15 6 2 - has encouraged more self-discipline 36 45 16 4 3 - has increased my sel-reliance 47 42 8 3 4 - has increased my tolerance of others 36 38 20 6 5 - has increased my readiness to serve Nigeria in any capacity and in any partofNigeria 37 35 20 8 6 -hasmadememoreproudofNigeria 33 31 26 10 7 - has increased my faith in the purpose of thescheme 26 45 20 9 8 - Others: Friendship with many others increased national outlookmore prudent in spending increased endurance readiness to workanywhere 66 20 11 3 Score: 4 (very much), 3 (much), 2 (little), 1 (not at all) Corps Members’ Assessment of the Achievement of the Scheme Awareness of Inculcation of National Adaptability similarities and self-discipline understanding and common ties and integration self-reliance Response No. % No. % No. % No. % Strongly agree 252 30.0 231 27.2 257 30.5 318 37.8 Agree 410 48.6 336 40.0 436 51.7 348 41.4 Disagree 126 14.9 203 23.9 74 8.7 126 14.9 Can’t say 56 6.6 83 9.8 77 9.1 49 5.9 Grand total 844 100.0 850 100.0 844 100.0 841 100.0 Source: A Compendium of the National Youth Service Corps Scheme: Ten Years of Service to the Nation (Lagos: NYSC Directorate Headquarters, n.d.), pp. 134–5. ...