A youth corps
member, Tunde Felix, volunteered to join the Red Cross Society while in
the National Youth Service Corps orientation camp and found it quite
fascinating to be so engaged in the service of humanity.
He enthuses about
his experience in the camp, saying it motivates him to willingly be at
the service of humanity whenever the need arises. Mr Felix says that he
has taken part in activities aimed at providing care, first aid to the
sick and accident victims, adding that he found the volunteer work
really fulfilling.
Observers say that
volunteer work is not alien to the African culture and they note that it
enables communities to effect desirable social changes, enhance social
cohesion, while developing corporate and individual capacities in
different social spheres.
Volunteers basically
provide humanitarian services to the people, and there are several
groups now offering these volunteer services. These agencies include the
Rotary Club, the Red Cross Society, and the Man o’ War, among others.
Sociologists claim
that volunteer work is a worthwhile social investment, saying that
volunteers provide specific services that foster the growth of the
society. This is because they engage communities and individuals,
particularly at the grassroots level, in development efforts, while
increasing public awareness of the myriad of challenges people face in
any community.
Volunteer service
delivery is a global phenomenon and the recognition of the pivotal roles
of volunteers in human development made Nigerian youth, under the aegis
of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), to celebrate the 10th
International Year of Volunteers (IYV+10) last February.
At the event, Mr
Taiye Haruna, permanent secretary (political affairs), Office of the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, underscored the
importance of volunteers in a country’s development process and stressed
the need to re-awaken the culture of volunteer service delivery in
Nigeria.
He emphasised that
volunteer service delivery was not just a selfless act of generosity and
human kindness, adding that it had also become veritable tools for
national development.
He noted that the
recognition of this global phenomenon compelled governments of countries
across the world to set up structures and initiate purposeful policies
to promote the development of volunteer services.
Volunteer service for development
Going from the
general to the specifics, Mr Haruna said that the Federal Government
established the Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS) to promote
volunteer services in Nigeria and guide their processes.
“In keeping with
this mandate, the NNVS is ready to work with and support all those who
seek to promote service through volunteerism,” Mr Haruna said, and
pledged the federal government’s readiness to promote the growth of
volunteerism in the country, saying that “the involvement of more
Nigerians in volunteer service will aid the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).”
The permanent
secretary’s sentiments are quite justifiable, as reports from countries
across the world indicate the growing importance of volunteer services
in handling specific human development assignments.
For instance, United
Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme says that the volunteer service
scheme has been a success story in many countries such as Sudan. The UNV
says that volunteers engaged from within these countries have been very
useful in the campaign against the cultural-sensitive issue of Female
Genital Mutilation (FGM), for example.
In most cultures,
volunteerism is deeply embedded in long-established ancient traditions
of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UNV
volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in
development efforts, in union with host agencies and local communities.
The principles of
volunteerism, according to the UNV, are solidarity, humanity, free will,
commitment, impartiality and altruism – the sense of helping others
without expecting any form of monetary reward.
Another agency,
Volunteer in Africa, which is solely dedicated to disseminating
information on volunteer work and volunteer-tours’ schemes in Africa,
says that volunteerism fosters communal participation and inclusion of
people at the grassroots level, including vulnerable and disadvantaged
persons.
Analysts, however, insist that there are many factors underlying moves to undertake volunteer assignments.
Motivating factors
Yemi Sangodeyi, an
anthropologist, says that some people are encouraged to go into
volunteer work by their desire and quest to help the less privileged
members of the society, while others are stimulated by their yearning to
make the world a better place to live in.
He says that most of
the volunteers are often equipped with first-hand information about the
society’s problems, including poverty, hunger, malnutrition, disease,
unemployment, and environmental degradation, before going into the
venture.
Mr Sangodeyi,
nonetheless, says that this service is fast becoming a strange
phenomenon in the country, as the younger generation of Nigerians is
becoming increasingly unconcerned about the plight of others.
He says that most of
Nigerian youth seem to have been affected with the get-rich-quick
syndrome, adding that the flamboyant lifestyles of the country’s leaders
and top public servants are not helping matters either.
“The ostentatious
living of our leaders have negatively affected the psyche of our youth
who now think that it is ‘madness’ to provide any form of services free
of charge,” says Mr Sangodeyi.
Olawale Ajani, the
president the NYCN, shares a similar viewpoint, saying that nowadays,
most citizens do not want to make any form of sacrifice because
“everybody thinks that nothing should be done for free”.
“Today, volunteerism
is not what it is supposed to be because everyone wants to be paid for
any service rendered. No one sees public service as free service any
longer, as people render service with the hope of getting some reward.
“The spirit of
volunteerism is dying,” he says, adding, “That’s why we are talking
about it today because we believe that if the citizens, particularly the
youth, can fully appreciate the need to render volunteer services,
Nigeria will consequently experience a positive turnaround.
Leaders as bad examples
Mr Ajani,
nonetheless, laments that the country’s leaders are not living by
example, as they are only interested in what they can get from the
system and not in how to promote Nigeria’s development.
At the IYV+10
celebration, Hajara Modu, the acting director, NNVS, said that the
agency was mobilising the skills and resources of Nigerians living
abroad for volunteer work in aid of the country’s development.
She said that
retirees from public and private sector agencies were also being
encouraged to contribute to national development through volunteer
services.
Mrs Modu said that
the NNVS, since its inception in 2003, had been able to make some
achievements in promoting volunteerism via seminars, conferences, and
workshops geared towards the creation of public awareness.
She said that a lot
of volunteer work is being undertaken via the NYSC, adding that corps
members carry out varying community development activities during their
service years.
The general
consensus is that efforts should be made to promote and standardise
volunteerism in Nigeria, as many believe in its usefulness in
nation-building efforts.
