By Mary Onyia
Former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lanre Ogundipe, has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the hardship reportedly faced by corps members during the ongoing Batch B Stream II orientation exercise, insisting that national service must not become an “initiation into suffering.”
Ogundipe, in an open letter to Tinubu and the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), said he personally visited an orientation camp after receiving reports of prolonged queues, overcrowding, exposure to rain and scorching sun, hunger, exhaustion, and anxiety among corps members. He described the situation as a humanitarian concern, stressing that every corps member was “first somebody’s son or daughter” before becoming a participant in the national service scheme.
According to him, the orientation camp is the first official encounter between many young Nigerian graduates and the Nigerian State and should inspire “appreciation, hope and a sense of belonging,” rather than avoidable hardship. “National service was never conceived as an initiation into suffering. It was conceived as an initiation into nationhood,” he said.
Ogundipe warned that the difficult conditions could pose serious health and safety risks, particularly for corps members living with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and sickle cell disease. He urged the Federal Government to provide covered waiting areas, safe drinking water, refreshments during prolonged registration, adequate medical personnel, and improved registration procedures to reduce congestion.
He also called for a comprehensive review of NYSC orientation camps and reporting arrangements to reflect current realities, including population growth, transportation challenges, security concerns, and technological changes. While acknowledging the scheme’s role in promoting national integration for more than five decades, Ogundipe said its continued relevance must be matched by a system that protects the welfare and dignity of the young Nigerians it was created to serve.