The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a program put in place by the Nigerian government to ensure that every graduate of a higher institution spends a year serving their fatherland. This program includes activities like a three week camping, Community Development Service (CDS), being assigned to a Place of Primary Assignment (PPA), Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED), amongst all others.
Past corps members have often tagged the program as a complete waste of twelve months, money, and strength, because they end up spending more time, money and effort than they ever earn it get saved up at the end of the service year.
Here is my entry for the weekend engagement topic: WEEK 251, and I will be discussing on the third topic which is
"What challenges do you face in the next twelve months and how have you personally planned to overcome them?"
I started to serve my fatherland on the 24th of January 2025. I went camping for three weeks at Iseyin town inside Oyo state, with over six thousand corps members in the State for batch 02. Ever since then I have had to move around obeying the clarion call.
My reality now is;
#1. I have been posted to a state and town where I do have only a few family members and no friends to start a life afresh.
#2. In the process of traveling from Ondo State to Oyo State and Iseyin town for camping, the expensive services in the camp, having to travel to Ibadan City (second largest city in Africa) where my place of primary assignment is, getting a manageable accommodation for the next twelve months, and all other expenses I would not even remember to mention has exhausted all the savings I gathered last year
#3 The monthly allowance given to us as corps members is next to nothing in comparison of the economy, the prices of things, and the money I had spent since I started.
#4 The need to make a reasonable savings, manage my spare time and productivity during service in preparation for after service when I will be faced with life, probably trying to get a job, and settle down maritally.
All these are the challenges I will be facing in the next 12 months. The comments of what people who have done it in the past is beginning to dawn, but instead of seeing problems, I am channeling myself to see opportunities and look for how to make this service work out for me, and to the best of experiences.
If you fail to plan, then you have planned to fail, they say. Even though it seems like a complete waste of years, I believe that a lot can be achieved during the service year. In order to do that, I must carefully look around for opportunities and thoughtfully plan my life around them.
My plans to overcome the challenges listed earlier in this post:
#1. Plan my time! I have three working days every single week at my PPA, I have one day for my CDS (Community Development Service), and Sundays for worship, leaving me with two days every week, when I get to stay at home or visit friends. However, I choose to spend it, which includes Tuesdays and Saturdays, but instead of spending the time that way, I have discussed with a building site manager who also does interior designs, wall painting, window blinds, POP, wallpapers, lighting, and the like, telling him that I would like to opt in for labour work in wall painting during my free days since I already have experience in it and it is also my side hustle. This will help with more income, balancing it with my daily expenses and also leaving room for savings.
#2 Plan how my money is being spent
Ibadan is a big city where one would see a lot of enticing things one could spend on but would later regret doing so. Not because these things are not good nor pleasurable, but because they are not necessary, neither are they crucial for basic survival. I have carefully drafted out a plan on how I would spend, what I should spend on, and how much I should save up monthly. It would be unwise if I made use of my free time to labour and when the reward comes, spend it on things that are not necessary.
#3 Take my worship more seriously
"A man's heart plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." — Proverbs 16:9
I Strongly believe that anything a man does, but does not have the backing of the Almighty God is doomed to fail, which is why I have decided to handle with intentionality, my relationship with my Creator in this service year. He cannot fail, so if I do not want to fail, walking with Him is my best option.
Thank you for taking your time to read through my entry for this week's weekend Engagement Topic!
Olafisoye Ayorinde is my name, do have a wonderful and productive week ahead.