The Compulsory One Year Youth Service in Nigeria

The Nigerian society is perplexed. It continues to trudge in antiquated paths, yet expect to get the best out of life, and perhaps, slide to the top of economies in the world. Well, it better reinvent its dreams. The other week, I finished school. I wrote my final exams, and father reminded me of Youth Service.

He so exalted it, that it seemed like the pinnacle of living here in Nigeria. Perhaps he still reminisce his days in camp. But I bet he doesn't realise things have changed since then. He has gone on to marry, have kids and now, one of them have turned a graduate. However, the thing is that the National Youth Corps Service have gone down the abysmal alley, becoming another scorn for Nigerians.

Today, you can bet, school proprietors are not recruiting staff. They have a steady flow of hands coming from orientation camps. All they need do, is apply for the next batch of Corpers, and yepee, the staff list is complete. Think also, of competent people who have the skills required to excel in certain fields who rather are confined to the walls of the classroom. Most of these guys are actually not trained to teach. And the last time I checked, the teachers Registration Council was rueing the quality of teachers in the country.

Yet, we want to be one of the top 20 economies come the year 2020. I think this is vague for us for now, and we are not really ready to achieve what we so babble about. Why must I be subjected to the scheme? Must I be far flung within my country because someone thinks its best for me? While somebody else earns fat pays for over pricing the Youth Corps apparel? Or recent graduates get posted as cannon fodder to some political cum religious battlefields?

Well, I'm a recent graduate, and am not ready to serve. Tell me I lack national consciousness, and I'd let you know that leaders are not made as such. What if these recent graduates are sent to such countries as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Haiti, Burma, Zimbabwe et cetera, and made to contribute voluntarily to the building of these crumbling economies? Wouldn't we be doing great justice to the now capsizing image of "Giant of Africa"? I've seen many young people who claim they are serving in some purported hinterland, cooling off all year round in their homes somewhere, because somethings have traded places.

While some have played down their ages, because they want to get enlisted in this show of shame. Its compulsory, and I say that's not right. Give us the right to develop ourselves mentally and entrepreneurially, to enable us become independent, and social entreprenuers.

MAZEY LIFE

They say nothing is constant in life except change. Well, I just hope that if there should be change in anyone's life it should be positive. A negative course of change would just be disastrous. However, how about a neutral change? Can there be anything as such? a change but neutral, not really tilting, but changing in magnitude. If there were any philosopher who talked extensively about change, I'd really like to poke into their works, and delve more in to this story of change. I really bothers me, most especially when you seem to have just had some change in magnitude, but not in direction.

Life continues to prove impossible by the day, with the many surprises and challenges it throws my way, I guess with the belief that I can treat them aright. Well, life must understand that am weak...and really weak. By the day, I feel empty, like something I really want has been taken away from me, and am let to just drift off towards the Antarctica.

Then the talk about me being...Gay? I continue to ponder... They say am DYKE. Everyone in the LC says so, that its an identity that has glued to my shirts. Fine I just hope its the shirts, before my boyfriend...pardon me, my girlfriend finds out.

School is a mess sometimes. I can't imagine, just like yesterday, I got admitted into school. Now, 'they' say am a graduate, awaiting the "compulsory" one year youth corps service. I see it as a waste of one precious year, which I can use to better myself. What do you think?

Then my love life? YES I know you want to know. Its in shambles. However, don't let my sisters know, because it could be the beginning of something I can't handle, because my girlfriend might just come knocking on my door, demanding an explanation. But when would I grow up, and acknowledge that some things in life follow a predestined course?

My family? I adore them. I love them so much, even though the need to be independent remains top on my agenda, and my father doesn't want to hear any of those... What do I do with so much bothering my family now? You know, sometimes I hate the fact that we are still where we are. But perhaps, everythings are for a reason. I just hope so.

When do I finish my dissertation? I bet you should ask my supervisor. I don't know myself. I just want to pack my bags and be off to some unknown place, where perhaps, life can continue for me, from where it has presently paused.

THE MYTH OF MIDDLE EARTH

The warlords of Mordor in fierce battle cry
Allies with Orcs, Dementors and Sauron
Seek the white gates of Gondor
In a frantic bid to seize middle earth

Time upon time, the ring long lost
The sovereignty of middle earth given up
Gondor gone merry, Mordor in rubbles
A surge from bottom earth very imminent.