NYSC NATIONAL HONOURS AWARDS.

"Honours, awards and ceremonies of this nature have become part of our national development process. This administration recognises the role of incentives as they serve as rewards for selfless and patriotic service. But beyond that, awards and ceremonies of this nature should be seen as for a to carve role models and to expose committed people for other citizens to emulate."
-General Ibrahim Babangida, on the occasion of the President's NYSC Honours Award Ceremony, December 8, 1989.

A significant feature in the annual calendar of events of the National Youth Service Corps Directorate is the president's NYSC National Honours Awards. Instituted in 1974, the NYSC Honours Award is designed to accord recognition and reward winners has always been arduous as it touches on all segments of the service programme, requiring a very high degree of objective assessment. An award winner must be able to distinguish himself in all the four phases of the programme-the Orientation / Induction course, the primary Assessment, Community Development Service and Winding-up / Passing-out activities. But especially, he should be able to conceive and initiate a personal community development project that would tangibly benefit his host community.

As a deliberate policy, the bulk of award winners are usually those who served in the rural areas. This is in consonance with the scheme's policy which places emphasis on rural development. Emphasis is also placed on achievements that are both service-oriented and of durable benefit to the host community. In addition, personal qualities of character, sense of duty, drive and determination, reliability, initiative and resourcefulness, command and leadership, team work, special contributions, self-confidence, and emotional poise are assessed and scored.

Until December 1991, the practice was for each state to have an award winner at the President's Honours Award. The selection procedure was hitherto such that at the end of each service years, each state secretariat compiled a list, after a committee had assessed the performances of the nominees, based on reports and records of concrete achievements. Those selected received the State Honours Award, having been deemed outstanding by the State Committees. Thereafter, the nominees were sent to the national Headquarters Board, comprising people from other organisations including journalists, university lecturers, members of the jury, etc, for a further scrutiny (with the Board's membership normally kept confidential).

The Board then selected the three most outstanding corps member for the President's Honours Award and the next 22 for the President's State Honours Awards representing the then 21 State and Abuja.

Since 1992, however, the selection process has been modified to lay greater emphasis on merit. During the 1990/91 Honours Awards ceremony, the then President, General Ibrahim Babangida, enjoined the NYSC to place greater stress on merit and to adjudge the candidates on a truly national basis, without regard to the number of winners who emerge from a particular state of deployment. In consonance with that presidential directive, there were, at the December 1992 award ceremony, 20 winners from only 15 states, from a total of 93 nominees drawn from all over the country.

In addition, an essential feature of the ceremony has been the exhibition of works of art, fabrications, inventions and engineering models produced by corps members, as well as a display of the produce from some NYSC Farms, and samples of goods produced in some small-scale industries built and operated by the NYSC.

By December 1992, about 378 ex-corps members had received the President's NYSC Honours Award since its inception in 1974. When this ceremony was first held in 1974 only ten corps members received the award. Two Years later, in 1976, the award was categorised into two and rechristened "Chairman's National Award" and Chairman's State Honours Award". In 1976 the number of states in Nigeria increased from 12 to 19. That year witnessed 22 corps members being decorated, with the Head of state or president usually presiding over the event. Also, since 1984, the award has changed from plaque to medal presentation. In 1988, president Babangida on the occasion of that year's Honours Award held at abuja, called for the extension of the annual award to the Local Government Level". It was for this reason, among others,that the scheme renewed it's efforts to monitor corps members, achievement and contributions in the rural areas. The committee is charged with the responsibility of visiting all local Government areas in the federation to ascertain and measure the achievement of corps members in their host communities.

The glamour which the award ceremony radiates, especially with the presence of the Head of the state or President has made it perharps the single most outstanding event in the service year. The occasion also provides a good forum for the NYSC to publicise itself and its achievement, as the events is attended by dignitaries from all walks of life, both in Nigeria and from abroad.

The following is the list of recipient of the Chairman's National Honors Award and the state Honours Award and the state Honours Awards from the 1973/74 service year to 1991/92: