Demilitarizing and Democratizing the Appointment of NYSC Director General: Forging Civil- Military Relations

The paper examines trends and patterns of appointment of Director Generals of the National Youth Service Corps Scheme (hereafter refers to NYSC). The problematic of the paper is anchors on the following posers: could one stretch the history of NYSC beyond the military era of General Yakubu Gowon Retired? Why are army officer usually appointed as Director Generals of the Scheme to the exclusion of Air force and Navy officers? Are there legal provisions or an Acts that provides for perennial appointment of the Army or military as Director General of the Scheme? If NYSC demands leadership that is creative, innovative and entrepreneurial, do the military possesses these attributes more than the civilian; more so that the army appeared to have done their best and seems exhausted? Now that Nigeria is under democracy or civil rule, is it still right to continue with the tradition of appointing army officer to head the Scheme taking clue from similar services elsewhere that have civilian heads? Finally, to what extent does the traditional psychosis of appointing army officers as Director Generals of the Scheme deepens civil-military relations? In answering these posers, the paper finds that exception of Professor Adebayo Adedeji, the first Chairman of NYSC Governing Board, Reverend Okunromade and Police Commissioner Ewokan who had the briefest moment in the Scheme, its leadership history remain dominated by sixteen army officers. The paper argues that regimenting the pattern of appointing NYSC Bosses within the military circle or lack of dynamism in it may account for several setbacks the Scheme has over the years recorded. Thus, it strongly suggests appointment of people outside the military circles to give it a democratic outlook and enhance civil-military relations. This for sure would boost the relevance of the Scheme and enhance its productivity in the 21st century.