National Service and Self-Reliance
Senior 6 · General and Religious Studies
National Service and Self-Reliance
Lesson 1 of 4
22 min
Nigeria's civil war ended in January 1970. Three years later, on 22 May 1973, the military government of General Yakubu Gowon created the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) by Decree N° 24. From July 1973, every new graduate of a Nigerian university, aged 30 or under, had to spend one year serving the nation, and was deliberately posted to a state other than his or her own. The first group numbered 2,364 graduates. Today the scheme mobilises hundreds of thousands of young Nigerians each year.
Why send a young engineer from Lagos to teach in a village school in the far north? Because the purpose was not only the work. It was to make young people from every region live, eat and work together, so that a country that had just fought itself would learn to think of itself as one nation. That is the idea behind national service.
Important
Source A: the purpose of the NYSC, from Decree N° 24 of 1973
The scheme was created "with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity".
Decree N° 24 was later replaced; the scheme now runs under the National Youth Service Corps Act, Cap N84, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
Definition
National service: work done by citizens, usually young people, for their country and community rather than for private profit, for a set period. It may be required by law or chosen freely, and it may be military or civilian.
Conscription: compulsory enrolment of citizens into the armed forces for a fixed period, also called compulsory military service.
Civic service: non-military national service, such as teaching, health work, building or environmental work.
Volunteerism: giving one's time and skills freely, by one's own choice, for the good of others.
Civic duty: something a citizen owes the community because he or she belongs to it, such as obeying the law, paying taxes or taking part in community work.
Patriotism: love of one's country shown in action, by serving it and caring for its people, its land and its future.
Source A does not mention roads, schools or clinics. Its stated aim is social: "common ties" and "national unity". The work the corps members do (teaching, health campaigns, community projects) is real, but the deeper goal is to change how young people see each other. Most national service schemes have both kinds of purpose:
| Purpose | What it means | Example of how it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Unity and identity | Citizens of different regions, faiths and backgrounds work side by side | NYSC posts graduates outside their home state |
| Development labour | Public work is done at low cost | Corps members teach in rural schools that lack teachers |
| Skills and employability | Young people gain experience, discipline and contacts | A first year of work before a career |
| Values and citizenship | Service teaches patriotism, integrity and responsibility | The anti-corruption campaign in the photograph above |
| Defence and security | Citizens are trained to protect the country | Conscription and reserve forces |
Schemes differ in two ways: whether the law requires service, and whether the work is military or civilian. Figure 1 sorts them.
Some schemes mix the boxes. A country may make military service compulsory but allow those who object on grounds of conscience to do civilian service instead; that civilian option is called alternative service.
Important
Source B: where the law draws the line, the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (ILO Convention N° 29), Article 2
Forced labour means "all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily". But the term does not include, among others:
Source B shows that international law accepts compulsory national service, but only within limits. Read the conditions carefully:
So the question to ask of any scheme is not only "is it compulsory?" but "who benefits, how heavy is it, and do the people have a say?". A scheme that answers those well is a civic duty; one that answers them badly risks becoming forced labour.
Warning
National service is not only the army. Many students define national service as military training. Most schemes in Africa today are civilian: teaching, health, building and environmental work. Define it broadly, then name the form you mean.
Tip
Use the two-question grid. When an exam asks you to "describe" or "compare" national service schemes, place each one in Figure 1 (compulsory or voluntary; military or civilian), then state its purpose and one strength or weakness. That turns a list of countries into an analysis.
Important
Discuss. Should one year of national service be compulsory for every school leaver in Rwanda after Senior 6? Use Source B to decide what conditions such a scheme would have to meet, and weigh its benefits for unity and skills against its cost to students who want to start university or work at once.
Practice
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa: Figure 1, the tables, the analysis and the exercises.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
