It was midway into our youth service year in Makurdi, Benue state,north central Nigeria, my friends ,Chizor and Stella came to our lodge suggesting we go on a Boat ride to Navy base.
The idea did not go well with me but due to the respect I have for both of them, I could not object to the idea of a “boat ride”.
This is where peer group influence comes in .
All through the ride from Wadata end of river Benue through to across the river to navy base ,I did not alter a word. Just as the both of them were busy gisting and clapping hands all through.
And then I thought to myself ,these my friends don’t seem to know the dangerous implication of this escapade .
Chizor by nature is adventurous but a nice friend so also Stella is amiable and equally nice . The very reasons I could not turn their offer down.
Thankfully enough ,I was on a voluntary fasting on this fateful day .
And to God be the Glory we landed safely on the other side of the river .
And it was obvious I would not go back to wadata on boat when there is an option of a bus ride .
This article speaks to the escapdes many youths engage in during the one year mandatory national service in Nigeria .
The National Youth Service Corps,NYSC established in Nigeria in 1876 has remained a symbol of unity and a laudable idea.
It brings with it memorable experiences and life changing moments too .
It has led to wide range of cultural exposures , and the list of advantages which come from this one year service is enormous.
However there is a very thin line of dangerous peer group influence which needs tackling.
Thankfully enough the stakeholders of the scheme have seen the need to embark on campaigns against unnecessary adventures .
Many a time, youth corps members are either declared missing or involved in one boat mishap or a road accident occasioned by unnecessary traveling.
National Youth Service year rather than seen as a period for proper integration into the larger system ,many youths see it as a period of unlimited freedom to engage in extra curricula activities which do not have any positive impact .
For instance ,why take a boat ride to a place where you could easily go by road ? .
It’s that time of the year when University graduates are posted to states across the country .Therefore this article is a wake up call to all youth corps members.
They are to beware of peer group influence . And endeavour to be agent of positive drives .
Those who engage in adventures are not necessarily wild, but rather are carried away with the freedom of being away from home.
For instance, my friends ,Chizor and Stella are very good girls but were carried away with the fantasy of being free to do what they like afterall ,parents are not nearby to caution them .
Forgetting however that this could lead to untimely death.
Till date, we are still friends. The bond which comes from youth service year cannot be quantified.
Even though it’s been years we left youth service and we do not speak often, we remain very close at heart
Both of them are dear to me as they’re the friends of youth .
Some corps members even meet life partners and remained happily married there after; most often ,these marriages are cross cultural .
This of course is one of the essence of the NYSC .
To build bridges across ethnic and cultural lines and consequently bring about unity in the country
We give kudos to the Nigeria’s fore fathers who initiated the scheme especially former president Yakubu Gowon .
NYSC scheme no doubt is a noble scheme .
Though it has stood the test of time ,it must also be seen to “have come to stay” as a major symbol of national unity .
Noteworhy is the fact that the scheme has evolved over time and introduced so many entrepreneurship concepts into it, of which many youths now benefit from .
Youth corps members are therefore advised to focus on the things that would benefit them at the end of the service rather than engage in vices and other juvenile delinquency occationed by peer group influence.
Rashidat Yusuf Writes from Abuja. Yusufrashidat12@gmail.com
