Back to sender!
Nigeria doesn’t want to be put on USA’s concern list
Good morning, Big Brains. If you’re planning to japa to the United States, you’d hate to read today’s big story because Nigeria has somehow managed to find itself in another mess.
- Margaret
Word count: ~ 1,000
Reading time ~ 5 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Nigeria is rejecting the USA’s concern list
FG wants to revamp the NYSC scheme
The Big Deal
Nigeria is rejecting the USA’s concern list
Word on the street is that the United States of America (USA) is trying to put Nigeria on its Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list, and Nigeria is rejecting that label with its full chest.
Some Nigerian lawmakers who are members of the Nigeria-US Parliamentary Friendship Group have met with American lawmakers in New York to urge them not to put Nigeria on the list. This label is usually given to countries with a severe lack of religious freedom or human rights, and it can lead to sanctions or restrictions that sting like hell.
If you’re wondering why Nigeria is even involved in this mess, it’s because the U.S is concerned about the ongoing violence and insecurity in the country.
The leader of the Nigeria-US Parliamentary Friendship Group, Jesse Onuakalusi, said that such a label could block Nigeria from getting access to technology that could help fight crime. He insisted that the country’s security issues are mostly caused by criminals and the spread of illegal weapons, not government failure.
Onuakalusi also used the trip to push Nigeria’s ambition to get a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. He said the country has helped in peacekeeping missions and has a large young population that can be valuable for global development.
Another lawmaker from the group, Dabo Haruna, used that opportunity to pass a little blame around. He says bad reports from Nigerians living abroad affect how the US sees Nigeria and might be part of why Nigeria is being considered for the CPC list.
Why is this a big deal?
If the US officially puts Nigeria on that list, it’s not just politicians that will feel the heat; everyday Nigerians could also face serious consequences.
For starters, once you’re on that list, the US government can respond with sanctions, cut diplomatic ties, or block economic and security support. In Nigeria’s case, this could mean losing access to technology that helps fight terrorism, kidnapping, and other crimes, as Onuakalusi mentioned, which means more insecurity for people who are already stressed out by how unsafe the country is.
It could also scare off foreign investors, especially American businesses that don’t want to deal with a country seen as dangerous or problematic.
The effects of this are so diabolical, it could also also negatively affect travel and immigration. A CPC label will likely come with harsh visa restrictions, making it even harder for Nigerians to study, work, or visit the US. And that’s one more obstacle in a system that already isn’t in our favour.
If Nigeria is labelled as a CPC, it would take more than just one intense “Back to sender” to reverse the label, and regular people like us would be collateral damage.
We wonder, though, if the pleading tactic the Nigerian side is using to approach the matter will be of any help. A more strategic move would be ensuring the country is as safe as can be at every corner, with airtight respect for human rights, but what do we know?
FG wants to revamp the NYSC scheme
We’ve all confirmed by now that old Nollywood sold us a false idea of what our National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year would look like, but if all things go well, it could become what the movies make it look like.
The federal government has set up a new committee to give NYSC an upgrade. According to the Ministry of Youth Development, the goal is to turn the scheme into something that doesn’t just take up a year of young people’s lives but actually helps them grow and contribute meaningfully to the country.
Youth Minister Ayodele Olawande admitted what many of us already know: NYSC is facing plenty of challenges. From poor infrastructure and safety concerns to a growing concern that the whole program might be outdated and irrelevant to young people. The government does not believe scrapping it is the solution, rather, it sees this as an opportunity to rework it into something young Nigerians can benefit from.
This new committee will review the entire NYSC structure by collecting the opinion of regular Nigerians to figure out what isn’t working. Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, also mentioned the possibility of creating special service branches like a teachers’ corps that can help solve Nigeria’s education gap and medical corps to improve healthcare in rural areas.
We’re not sure how corp members feel about it yet, but time will tell if this committee has what it takes to deliver the results we hope for.
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