NYSC President’s Honours Award; Are you worthy to receive it?

                                              

Our Pride

The annual NYSC president’s honours award is glorious ceremony that caps members, staff of NYSC and even the general public look forward to, and I will never forget in 2010 event wasn’t any lesser that it used to be in fact, it was an important mille stone in the annals of the national youth service corps (NYSC) as president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan conferred the Honours award on 51 ex-corps members at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential villa, Abuja .

Considering the high profile the president’s honours award has assumed in the NYSC activities and its importance to the public at large, one begins to wonder at the brain behind the NYSC scheme, in retrospect, was established in 1973, as a strategic part of the post civil war rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation policy of the federal governments. Its main objective was to mobilize Nigerian graduate youths for national service outside their states of origin, thereby promoting inter tribal and cross – cultural interactions among Nigerians.

Since inception, over four million Nigerian have partaken in the scheme, making remarkable and priceless contributions to the social, economic and political development of the nation, thereby promoting the service scheme. It is on this premise that the president’s NYSC Honours Award was instituted to give national recognition for the contributions of corps members to national development, stimulating good performance and promoting the dignity of labour, as well as establishing the culture of merit and reward for excellence in service. It began in 1974 with the conformant of National Honours on 10 corps members of the 1^st service year for their outstanding performance and sterling quantities at a colourful ceremony presided over by the then Head of State and founding father of the NYSC, General (Dr) Yakubu Gowon. Hence, it became a culture to promote excellence among young people through appropriate recognition.

Are you a corps member who is a lay about? Then, you are certainly not worthy to be honoured by Mr. President. Therefore, to be eligible for the NYSC president’s award, a corps member must have distinguished him/herself in all phases of the services which include exemplary participation at the orientation camp programme, meritorious conduct at place of primary assignment, active participation in community development service (CDS) and winding up/passing out activities.

Apart from the aforementioned, a potential awardee should be able to initiate and execute a personal community development service project adjudged to be of tangible benefit to the host community.  More so, such personal qualities as sense of duty, drive, determination, initiative resourcefulness, teamwork, leadership traits, special contribution , discipline, self comportment and emotional posies are critical indices assessment.

Meanwhile, in line with NYSC policy which place premium on rural development, the bulk of doubt, serves as encouragement to serving corps members in these areas and, on the other hand dissuade prospective corps members from influencing their posting to urban areas. However, this does not imply that corps members in cities do not qualify for the president’s honours award. Every corps member is entitled to be qualified only if he or she stands out in the crowd.

It should be noted that there is a National selection committee comprising areas of endeavour including the academia, labour, civil service, civil society and the private sector, which receives nominations from all the state secretariat’s of the NYSC, and determine the winners after painstaking and due scrutiny  of the nominees, using the aforementioned criteria. The prospective awardees, therefore, must have been conferred with the Honours Award at the State level at the end of the service year for their outstanding performance.

 Are you ready to be the last man or woman standing in your state of deployment? Then, blow the trumpet, not just loud, but loudest to the top yes, it’s worth it, if that’s what you are thinking. You’ve not even considered the benefit. Okay, let’s see, how about getting a National certificate of Honours duly signed by the president, a gold medal, an automatic employment in the federal civil service and a cash prize? Isn’t it your while?

You know, it could be you. But then, you have got to weigh yourself to see if you have what it takes, and if by any chance you happen to have the faintest feeling that you do, then, I oblige you to take the bull by it’s horn as we look forward to the next NYSC president’s Honours Award. Be the next to be celebrated and honoured by Mr. President!

Permission to fallout… Corper Shon!!!                    

 Marinfrance Oboma.