THE SIGNIFICANCE OF COMPULSORY SERVICE

There are different kinds of services that are designed for citizen of a particular country especially in the government. When you work with the government in Nigeria, we termed you as a civil servant and the act is normally called civil service. This service comes with certain condition which is generally accepted in the whole nation. The mandatory service has a varied significance to both the individual and the government as well. In this post, I will be sharing some of the compulsory service I know in my country and how it has benefited many people hence I would not want it to be scrapped instead better ways should be deployed to ensure its sustainability.

I couldn't dropped my post yesterday because it was truly tedious for me. There's no supply of electricity therefore I had to go and for a source elsewhere to power my gadgets then later went and fetched water. These activities ruined down my strength but thank God I am refreshed now. Special thanks to other participants in this second edition. Follow me as I share my perspective on the subject of concern.

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There are varied mandatory services we have in the country. For the sake of this post, I would like to categorize it into two broad areas based on age brackets.

• The first one is the compulsory service of youth normally regarded as National Youth Service Corps. This is a kind of service that is meant for fresh young graduates from university and other higher accredited institute of learning. It's compulsory for all those less than 30 years to serve while those above 30 years will be exempted from the scheme. This kind of service has a lot to impact to Nigerian youths even though is gradually being bastardized but the true image of NYSC is very meaningful. The service spans for just one year while some stipend are paid on monthly basis to cushion some effects.

Compulsory youth service has exposed so many Nigerian youths beyond their local terrain. For instance, I never knew the time it would take me to invade the north eastern part of the country. It it was national youth service that sent me to Gombe State. I had the privileged to serve in the state capital with a good secondary school. The experience worth it because I learned the rudiments of civil service and how to serve in public offices. Youth Service is an opportunity where youths are built properly for more productivity wherever they are found.
It also enables one to have a cross cultural breed experience. Most at times you would be posted not to your state of origin so that you would learn more.

Aside the aforementioned benefits, it will be an opportunity for some to meet their life partners just like in my case. I met my wife during the compulsory service year. Hmmmm had it been I didn't answer the clarion I would not have seen her. I knew of more than six people that met their partners during NYSC and do are beautifully married. Wow thank God for the mandatory service to the nation.

• The second dimension of compulsory service I would like to share is about the civil service. This normally comprises of both ages, sexes but the bottom line is that the service is meant to end after 35 years. Within this period of year, it's expected that one would have planned something good for his life and family before you retire to begin to receive pension. If you retired from active service and you still have strength, you could delve into other sector like academia.

Mandatory service is good because of the kind of experience one gathered. It shouldn't be scrapped but there are aspect that can be improved with some innovation.

thanks for reading through my entry for week 127 edition 2 engagement from hive learners community. All input appreciated.