Appraisal of the National Youth Service Corps Involvement in Community Development in Selected Local Government Areas in Oyo State, Nigeria

Authors

  • Dr. Patrick Okafor A Department, Nigeria Police Force, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
  • Dr. Adeniran Oladepo Owolade Lautech Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47672/ajppa.1484

Keywords:

Community Development, Nigeria, National Youth Service Corps

Abstract

Purpose: This study appraised the impact of the involvement of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in community development in three selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Oyo State, Nigeria. It also compared the corps members' assessment of the impact of the NYSC community development services to that of the community members; and evaluated the level of involvement of the community in the planning and implementation of community development services of the NYSC.

Methodology: This study was a cross-sectional survey and utilised both qualitative and quantitative methods to gather its primary data. The selected study area included Ogbomosho North, Ido and Akinyele Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of community members, 15 community leaders, and 150 serving NYSC corps members were interviewed through questionnaires and key informant interviewData analysis was done using IBM/SPSS software, version 25.0.

Findings: Data obtained showed that 74.8% of the community members agreed that the development of their respective LGAs have been enhanced by the activities of the various NYSC Community Development Service (CDS) groups; 80% agreed that they could give clear instances where NYSC have contributed to community development in their various LGAs. The most impactful community development activity of the NYSC was Education (79.7%), whilst Environment [Clean water and sanitation] (73.4%) and Healthcare (68.5%) were the second and third, respectively. There was a very weak negative correlation between the community development service preference of the community members and that of the NYSC corps members (r = -.074, p>.05). In terms of community participation, 60.8% of the community members agreed that the NYSC involves the community in the planning of their community development activities, and 61.6% agreed that the NYSC involves the community in the implementation. The discovered challenges confronting the operation of the NYSC CDS as a tool for community development are inadequate finance; corps members' prioritisation of infrastructure projects over service-based projects; and corps members lack of motivation or enthusiasm in CDS activities.

Recommendations: The NYSC through its CDS activities has positive impacts in the development of the communities in Oyo state, Nigeria. The NYSC community development services should therefore be sustained nationwide by the Nigerian government. 

 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Dr. Patrick Okafor, A Department, Nigeria Police Force, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

 

 

Dr. Adeniran Oladepo Owolade, Lautech Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

 

 

References

Abdullahi, M., Ehiyamen, O., Cheri, L., & Chikaji, A. I. (2016). Analysis of the Implementation of Community Development Service Projects of National Youth Service Corps: Channels and Hinderances. Ilorin Journal of Administration and Development, 2(2), 1-15.

Adeyemo, C. W., & Kayode, G. M. (2020). The Theories of Community Development: Lessons from a Rural Community in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Budapest International Research and Critics in Linguistics and Education (BirLE) Journal, 3(1), 31-38.

Amal, B., Natsir, M., & Suswati, S. (2019). Mixed Method Strategies to Develop the Acquisition of ESP Students'Skills of on Line Marketing. Budapest International Research and Critics in Linguistics and Education (BirLE) Journal, 2(1), 72-78.

Arigbo, P. O., Onuekwusi, G. C., Ikoro, D. E., & Adeogun, T. F. (2019). Community Involvement in the National Youth Service Corps Community Development Service Projects in Abia State, Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Extension, 23(4), 65-76.

Arigbo, P., Onuekwusi, G., & Adeogun, T. (2019). Contribution of the National Youth Service Corp's Community Development Service in Abia Stae, Nigeria. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Agricultural Extension Society of Nigeria.

Asnarulkhadi, A. S., & Aref, F. (2009). People's participation in community development: A case study in a planned village settlement in Malaysia. Marsland Press World Rural Observations, 1(2), 45-54.

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999).

CPA. (2000). hThe role of Community Development in tackling Poverty.

Fareo, D.O. (2020). Perception of National Youth Service Corps Members towards Community Development Service in Adamawa State, Nigeria. East African Scholars Journal of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, 2(5), 146-150.

Kenny, S. (2007). Reconstruction in Aceh: Building whose capacity? Community Development Journal, 42(2), 206-221.

Lamidi, K. O., Benson, K. S., & Adisa, A. L. (2018). Challenges of NYSC Community Development Service: Empirical Evidences from Southwestern Nigeria. Journal of Sustainable Development, 11(1), 13-19.

Lamidi, K.O. (2017). An Examination of the Key Components of NYSC Community Development Service in South-Western Nigeria (1999-2014). International Journal of Community Research, 6(3), 93-101.

National Youth Service Corps Act, CAP N84 (1993 No. 51).

National Youth Service Corps Handbook. (2014). The Purpose of Community Development and the Techniques for its Implementation. Lagos: Nigeria: Orientation Lecture Series.

NYSC Official website. (2022). The National Youth Service Year: An Overview. Retrieved from NYSC Official website: https://www.nysc.gov.ng/serviceyear.html

Obadare, E. (2005). Statism, Youth and Civic Imagination: A Critical Study of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Programme in Nigeria. Washington: Center for Social Development Global Service Institute.

Olowookere, A., Ayangbekun, J., & Oluwasola, S. (2019). Design and Implementation of NYSC Orientation Posting scheme in Nigeria. JCSSE International journal of Computer Sciences and Engineering, 7(6), 518-522.

Oluwalogbon, L. A. (2019). The Future of Nigeria's National Youth Service Corps Programme: Any Hope for National Integration. Journal of Public Administration and Governance, Macrothink Institute., 9(2), 1-16.

Raimi, L., & Alao, O. (2011). Evaluation of the economics (cost and benefits) of National Youth Service Corps for sustainable development in Nigeria. Humanomics: The International Journal of Systems and Ethics, 27(4), 270-281.

The United Nations. (2022). Country Classification- UN. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_current/2014wesp_country_classification.pdf:

UNTERM. (2022). Retrieved from http://unterm.un.org/DGAACS/unterm.nsf/8fa942046ff7601c85256983007ca4d8/526c2eaba978f007852569fd00036819?OpenDocument

Uzoho, P.I. (2021). National Youth Service Corps Scheme in Fostering Unity and Integration in Post War Nigeria: A Historical Analysis. Uzu Journal, 8(1), 93-112.

Wates, N. (2014). The Community Planning Handbook: How people can shape their cities, towns and villages in any part of the world (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Watson-Thompson, J., Fawcett, S., & Schultz, J. (2008). A framework for community mobilization to promote healthy youth development. Am J Prev Med, 34(3), 72-81.

Downloads

Published

2023-06-01

How to Cite

Okafor, P. ., & Owolade, A. . (2023). Appraisal of the National Youth Service Corps Involvement in Community Development in Selected Local Government Areas in Oyo State, Nigeria. American Journal of Public Policy and Administration, 8(2), 30–60. https://doi.org/10.47672/ajppa.1484