By Taofeeq Imam

On a bright day at the Pace Setter State, just after the completion of his camping exercise. Alakoso Khaleel, 20s, a graduate of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto having received a PPA letter was always a welcoming move for his 11months mandatory service of his fatherland. Khaleel, a Sociology graduate of UDUS was posted to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (Lautech), Ogbomosho, Oyo State.

At that moment, he thought this was another way to improve himself intellectually and focus on what he had been doing. Right from camp, he couldn’t wait for the day he would resume at his PPA. On getting there , it was a bitter experience.

National Youths Service Corp (NYSC) is a one year mandatory service to every Nigerian graduate from University and Polytechnic respectively, having obtained a Bachelor’s degree from the University (Bsc) or a Higher National Diploma from Polytechnic (HND) Institute in Nigeria.

From the inception, Khaleel’s experience at Lautech was an horrible one which to him is of no productive to his personal development rather made him more unproductive. It would be an understatement to say he had the worst experience ever.

Narrative Khaleel’s Horrible Experience: A Cruel Character From Nigerian Employers

On the first day at the office, Khaleel together with his colleague; a female Corps member had to wait for an hour before they could see the Head of the Office due to them holding a meeting. Unfortunately, the, ignorant Corp members little did they know what would happen. Sequel to the meeting, Khaleel went straight to meet the Faculty Officer. However, moment they stepped foot into her office, and briefly introduced themselves to her. Khaleel innocently requested if Friday would be inclusive among their working days.

“I asked if Friday would be inclusive as far as the organization is concerned, but to my surprise, the Faculty Officer was a bit rude, with frowned, aggressive and dissatisfied face, she devoured, “Yes, because we can’t accept you if you can’t be coming on Fridays,” Alakoso Bewailed.

Furthering his detailing, Khaleel was agaped that upon their arrival, Corps members would be welcomed with open arms, only to see the supposed Administrative Officer (A.O.) who was meant to be nice to them ordering the Corps members to wash dishes.

“Corpers, we have something that you are going to do for us,” she said with an expression they couldn’t even interpret. They entered the second office, and they were asked to pack plates. “You need to go and wash these plates over there,” she said, pointing to where the tap was, and adding, “that’s what the other Corpers before you do.” Unbelievably , this happened so fast. Khaleel looked so worried and terrified, unlike his colleague, who seemed less worried as Khaleel was because she had seen lots of other members who were yet to get PPAs. We just had to do it because we didn’t have an option.” He exclaimed

“With the little experience I had in organization and management, it was just clear to him that I was in an unorganized organization. The division of labor was so poor since what you would be doing was not stated and specified right from the inception. There was no chain of command and all decisions just seemed too authoritative and unofficial”, Khaleel narrated.

Little did he know that that was just a beginning of the humiliating experience until this affected his personal lives. Khaleel was a freelance writer who takes course on weekly basis and as well to sustain himself, but with the consistent frustration he had to drop his writing side hustles to pursue what it doesn’t deserve and as well hazardous to his mental health in the service to his fatherland. As time goes on, he had to drop those courses he studies online and as well his work for NYSC just because he couldn’t mixed them up together because of frustration from his PPA.

Nevertheless, Khaleel was doing everything they asked him to do to the best of his capacity, even though he got tired sometimes. “I arranged books and made many photocopies, and sometimes had to dispatch mails to different offices around the school environment. To be factual, I got tired many times because I had to close by 4 p.m. and sometimes even later if we had to wait for the overall Head of the Faculty, (Dean) before we could go home. Mostly, by the time I got a cab to take me home, the time had already gone. This was what I did almost every day, which meant I had to wake up very early and prepare for the office”, Khaleel complained.

The problem with the hierarchy just got worse day by day. Everybody wanted you to see them as the boss. there was no unity in the chain of command and directions, you had to take orders from different sources. This weakened him mentally a lot. They believed as Corps member, they could just say anything and everything they wanted to you. Khaleel was puzzled many times. Mostly, they kept laying emphasis on the school he graduated from, saying things like, “What did you go to do in that kind of place?” or “That place is very far, why can’t you stay in your state, to the extent that one had to ask about my JAMB score which is of no necessity to one’s problem solving skills. At this moment, I knew she wanted me to see her as the real boss.

I had never experienced something like this; just some set of people with too much beefing with one another, and turn Corps members to recipients of their beefing and anger.

“The humiliation was too much that I had to be blamed and shouted at for things that were not my fault, there was no any trace of where the anger was coming from”.

Navigating the Harsh Realities of Mandatory Service : A Female Corp Member Bewail Experience.

Just like her colleague , Khadijat Sanusi , a graduate from federal University, Birnin Kebbi narrated her awful experience at Centre of Commerce, where she was posted for her national youth service. Unlike other corp members who had memorable experiences. Khadijat described hers as a den of maltreatment.

Khadijat happened to serve in an academic environment (anonymous), and described her boss rude , non compliance and always bossy around the school environment.

“Prior to my Mandatory service, they always storied NYSC period as an unforgettable and memorable experience, but reverse was the case when I got there, the academic environment was supposed to be interactive within and among staff irrespective of the qualifications, but there, the hierarchy among the staff and management is highly top notched like a lion dictating in a den, khadijat lamented.

Just like Alakoso who had to be sent an errand to buy plates of foods tied in a polythenes bags like young ones being sent around authoritatively, followed by an action taken by the administrative officer who questioned her why he had to leave his work for mosque and why couldn’t he pray in the office, As a Muslim, he had to always make mosque his choice. Khadijat’s experience remained similar with the religious part exclusive and has to perform chores meant by non academic staff of the school.

NYSC was established to create opportunities for graduates among numerous other benefits, but now it is limiting if not completely taking opportunities away from most of them.