5 Things Corp Members Will Miss About NYSC As They Pass Out

The National Youth Service Corps NYSC Batch A 2019 members have passed out of the scheme today, after completing 13months of service to their fatherland and we will be looking at 5 thing many of them will miss as they leave the scheme.
Although, majority do not like the rigidity and mandatoriness of the scheme and they see the one-year programme as a waste of time, they surely will have something(s) they will always love, remember and miss the scheme for. Let’s look at them below:
1. Allawee:  Allawee is importanter! There is nothing that beats the sound of allawee alert, chai. Even if the PPA one is posted to pays monthly, there is something so spectacular about the NYSC monthly allowance that the mouth and words cannot describe. Now that it has been increased from 19,800 to 33,000 naira, Oh goodness, many will so wish to continue service, but sorry, the time is up.
2. People: one of the scheme’s major motive is to make people from different tribes, religion and state mix together and unite, and surely, it achieves this feat effortlessly. No matter how lazy a corp member is, he or she must mix with people. If not at the Community Development Service (CDS), it will be from the different religious bodies and engagements. When it is time to depart, one will surely miss the great minds and people one must have met.
3. Celebrity Recognition: Wearing the NYSC uniform makes one feel like a celebrity. Every where you turn, people recognise one differently and with that uniform, one have access to wherever, unlike when one is in mufti like everyone else. The various call outs of ‘Ajuwaya’, ”Corper Corper’, ‘Corper Wee’ and many more by traders or road side sellers, bus drivers and all makes one feel proud of serving one’s country too. Although, despite the shouts and recognition, no one thinks of giving the corp members free ride, free money or even sachet water for walking under the hot sun, especially in Lagos, the recognition is worth it to an extent. The female traders are always full of prayers, though, as opposed free money, lol. Once the uniform is off, all of those are gone too, so sad. Also, the various discounted professional certifications that are available to corp members have elapsed as the ex-corpers are no longer seen as they used to be with the uniform.
4. NYSC Band/OBS/CDS/Special CDS: seeing them from afar, the NYSC band is an interesting place to be so for whoever was in the team, he/she must miss the team. Same goes for the OBS and Special CDS. Some corp members may not miss their normal weekly CDS meetings, but for those who were dedicated, part of the executives or who enjoy what they do at the meetings, they will surely miss the weekly meetings.
Read also: 15 Travel Tips For An NYSC Newbie Preparing For Orientation Camp
5. The Little Freedom: serving at a PPA is not the same as working as a staff of the company, and so many times, corp members have little freedom and flexibility unlike the staff. They also have free days to themselves for the weekly meeting and so many other programmes scheduled by the scheme. Now that NYSC is done, it is time to face the reality of life. 8am – 5pm jobs with targets, higher delivery expectations and professionalism sets in.

Photos Credit: Getty