AFTER NYSC, WHAT NEXT?

The ultimate question is this, what next? For most of us, we have a lot of questions to answer such as; do I stay back in this state or go back to my base? How sure am I to find work back home? Now that I am not entitled to accommodation, how do I pay for it? My parents have told me I’m an adult and I should take care of myself, can I cope with these meager salaries? Who do I live with and can I live alone? Is it safe? When do I get married and is my soul mate here? Endless questions flood our minds as we near the date when we are told to officially 'pass out' of the NYSC programme. The truth is this, to get a good head start at our after-NYSC life, we must answer these questions.

Staying back is a big decision and is dependent on so many factors. One, the work environment. Is the pay adequate to take care of all the bills, including welfare and occasional replenishing of wardrobes? Are the people in the office friendly and willing to help you acclimatize to recent changes both in your office duties and your status as a citizen? Is the area safe? Can you afford accommodation for yourself now that you are no longer a corper? These questions must be answered and you must answer them without sentiment because when it comes to work and money, emotions are never involved.

A life partner has become one of life's hidden treasures and for most of us, we are impatient to find it. Everyone just wants a map pointing to a direction shouting, 'there it is!' Unfortunately, when it comes to issues of the heart, patience is required. Some of us found our life partners during the NYSC programme. Most of who did had our weddings during the NYSC programme since the scheme provided financial assistance to ease the stress of the two lovebirds involved. Now there will be no financial assistance; just you, your pay from work and your guts to face the world. Would it be easy? Not in the least. However, for those of us who are Christians, it is advisable that we leave such matters to God and allow Him to direct our footsteps. The eye can be deceived, but the spirit of God in you, cannot. Do not make finding a soul mate a reason for staying back. Some of us have this notion, of men or women in a particular area being more marriageable than others. Even if this is true, if both of you are to be together, the Lord will bring it to pass in His time. Of all issues to take into your hands, marriage is definitely not one of them.

The issue of safety, cost of living and availability of jobs is also an important factor for those considering staying back in a state? If unsafe, can you cope with the amount of hostility, where there is a high cost of living will you be able to make up for it and in the first place, are there jobs available back here? Remember, that while answering these questions, you must be objective and where there is a question mark as regards safety, you should project into the future to see if things would be for the better. However, for the sake of simplicity, let us all look at these factors in terms of the present. Do they favor you now?

For those of us who do not want work for anyone but already have a business we’d like to tow into, bravo to you. However you also have some questions answer. Have you conducted a feasibility study and if so, does it favor your proposed business idea? In the event of failure of the business, where does money to pay off debts come from? Will your target audience be satisfied with this new product? What about sustainability and cost of embarking on a business venture of that sort? All these will be answered in your business plan, and you MUST possess one.

What about those who are leaving and going back to their base states. It would be much easier to take in if there were jobs waiting for such category of people. If you are one of them, then you had better start building your network base and singing your name in the ears of those who do or do not want to hear, as the fact is, you've been absent from the scene for nearly one year. You are now your own advertiser.

Living apart from parent's donations to our welfare package can be quite disturbing. Some of us have lived on our parents our whole lives, the rest of us have parents that have been reducing their quotas as a way of hinting us that we are near the adult stage of life and others, have gotten an early start in living on the labor of their own hands. For the first set of people, this would be the hardest, as they most times lack self-discipline and budgeting skills. As you switch over from corper to adult, you must imbibe the habits of regulating your spending and planning your costs. If not, you would wind up stranded, starving and savaged. In other words, you'll be a total wreck.

After-NYSC, what next? It’s a big question but it is advisable that it should be answered at least two weeks to the passing out day. So to those of who have passed out or are looking to exit the NYSC scheme, I ask; got a game plan?

CHINONSO DANIELLA EDEH

BY/11B/0665

Why Bayelsa Corps Members Are Unique

Just as there are graduates among graduates, there are also ‘corpers’ among ‘corpers’ and the ‘Bayelkopa’ – corps member serving in Bayelsa State is a distinguished figure who stretches to his full height and stands shoulders high above her contemporaries. Before getting provoked to shove this piece aside, just hold your peace, let me tell you why.

Bayelsa State is an admixture of contrasting variables. For instance, the state is blessed with so much money and so much water; whilst the former is in less circulation, the latter is in abundance. This, among other factors contributes significantly to the exceptionality of the Bayelkopa. Due to the dynamic and difficult terrain of Bayelsa State, the Bayelkopa is naturally faced with mountainous challenges in his first few months of resumption for national service. Some of these challenges include the fear of spending hours on a speedboat to go across the Atlantic Ocean heading for an island to serve the nation; challenges of poor allowance amidst high living standard and so on. Funny enough, these multi – faceted coefficients of distraction start threatening the Bayelkopa right from when he gets his call up letter! This is the period where the boys pack up and seek greener pastures around their comfort zones via redeployment, leaving the true men on stage. But before the service year expires, the Bayelkopa who has endured the race to the finish line can boast of being armed to the teeth with first class intuition on practical ways to turn waste to wealth and to mine wine from even swine.

At different times during his/her service year, every Bayelkops takes up different roles; these include the Bayelkopa as a teacher, as an entrepreneur, as a manager/administrator/leader and as a counsellor. He would pass for the proverbial ‘jack of all trades...’, but in this case, master of all. All these roles expose raw creativity and leave the Bayelkopa better than he/she was and invariably shoots them far ahead of their contemporaries in other states if the testimony of ex-Bayelkopa is anything to go by.

The Bayelkopa as a Teacher: Teachers they say are readers and readers are leaders. This is the first add – on for most Bayelkopas as they are sent to schools to build Nigeria within the four walls of classrooms. The teaching profession builds a viable foundation for clarity of thoughts/rationalizations and breeds consciousness in the teacher. These attributes are basically fundamental for leaders and managers of human and material resources; little wonder the President of this country and many other key public office holders one held chalks to the board in classrooms. The Bayelkopa is on the queue. While other states post corps members to choice offices with maximum comfort and less creativity, Bayelsa State ensures that about 98% of Bayelkopas are deployed to schools, to build leaders and leadership in them.

Bayelkopa as an entrepreneur: Unlike other states where corps members earn good money effortlessly from their places of primary assignments, the Bayelkopa is posted to a school where most often, he may even have to contribute part of his own meager pay to uplift the school. But one advantage he has is the fact that school hours elapse as early as 2pm thus leaving him with time to engage in other personal ventures. In this light, most Bayelkopas explore their creativities by tapping into the virginity of the green glory land Bayelsa. Corps members in this state do all forms of dignified entrepreneurial ventures ranging from communication businesses through retailing to supply of goods and execution of contracts related to their field of study. The ability to identify a need and provide it is the secret of financial breakthrough. Corps members smile home with the meager allowances they officially collect in Bayelsa State because they actually turn into a seed that meets basic need of the public, thereby creating a multi – facetted stream of income there from. This is the major reason why it is said that ex – bayelkopas hold sway over the economic climate and entrepreneurship base of Bayelsa State.

Bayelkopa as an administrator/Manager: the Bayelkopa’s administrative and management skill is seen in the execution of CDS project which form the NYSC secondary assignment. In Bayelsa state, projects executed by corps members on individual basis range from construction of blocks of classrooms to water supply facilities, Construction of public toilets, clinics, libraries, laboratories, bus stops, donation of health materials to deserving beneficiaries, donation of books and writing materials to schools, computers and computer accessories, provision of free medical care services, mass literacy campaigns, public enlightenment and sensitization rallies, women and youth empowerment via skill acquisition trainings and a host of other laudable initiatives. It takes an astute manager of resources and a skilful administrator to be able to initiate, plan, execute and maintain these kinds of projects. The Bayelkopa indeed deserves kudos for this.

Which one do we say, which do we leave; is it the bayelkopa’s role as a counselor and adviser to his students and the staff in his place of primary assignment, or is it about his humility in service by accepting to risk his life through the daunting waves of the ocean to serve his nation in a community where he losses contact with his kind of people and may not even see a tarred road for a whole of one year? Other states may have daring situations similar to these, but believe it or not, this deal is real and is definitely a different ball game.

The Bayelkopa having hazarded himself through these cataclysmic phenomena is a ready – made material loaded with the capacity to transform the fortune of any establishment to unimaginable heights. In addition to service and humility, he has the invaluable virtues of resourcefulness, industriousness and adaptability.

By Salifu Emmanuel