Am I the only who sees or think that the National Service Scheme is slavery and sheer exploitation of fresh graduates wearing the guise of service to the nation?. I mean “how did we cook it and it did not cook well”— I hope whoever that has the head seat on the National Service table sees this letter I decided to pen. It is a rather long letter but read to the very end dear reader!.
Dear NSS Boss,
Whoever you are , I hope you are happy with yourself and your conscience is as unremorseful as the brothel owner who sings songs of praises to thank the Lord for a lucrative night(come to think of it,do you even have a conscience). I don’t even understand how you are able to look yourself in the mirror knowing the discomfort and laden your office has imprinted in the hearts and on the backs of fresh graduates who are looking forward to hustle their way through the winding Ghanaian economy. As if being in and completing school wasn’t enough hurdle to jump over.
Of course we understand that you guys are only doing your job but the truth National Service is a curse and this curse needs to be lifted from our heads before generations come to suffer the iniquities of their forefathers.
I do not even want to touch on how corrupt your office is because it is either you come next in line to the office of the President or you are competing with the Police Service for the zenith position. I have a friend who knew where she would be serving even before she bought University forms and truthfully she now prides herself with that—whichever or however it is, I trust Anas would swing your asses in his red books all in good time so brace yourself.
I had decided to swallow this bitter pill in silence and cling on to a hopeful straw, after all it won’t last forever until I went over to my registration centre to register. The crowd that had gathered were more than the words in an Encyclopedia—the place was crowded to the latter. No grit of sand would find its way down when thrown up, one can literally get themselves lost in that thick crowd.
I just knew the Trans-Atlantic slave trade never ended and whoever thinks otherwise should come see us here in Ghana rebranding the whole thing. Even before we embark on this futile and fruitless journey we have to suffer with a simple registration—how much more need I define how cursed this is?. So you people cannot make us do this Godforsaken registration in our respective schools huh?.
Dear NSS Boss,
We have lived to understand and accept that this indeed is our call and in as much as we may not want to pick this very call, we are limited to choice and as such we’ve been unwillingly subjected to this. We get it!— we have to serve the nation but must we render that service and run a loss on top? Is that not asking too much from us?. You people would sit behind computers and lazily but shamelessly post people to areas far from their homes with no accommodation or whatsoever without giving a thought to how they are going to survive. We are all in the known that, that chicken change you call allowance can hardly foot transportation fare let alone make home for anyone. If we are going to serve the nation,can you guys make the package a little bit attractive because I could swear the monthly allowance of one service personnel is used for a day’s lunch by some of your staff.
Dear NSS Boss,
I do not want to say you people’s sanity needs questioning but I am tempted to think you people are on some fermented mashed kenkey. The way graduates are indiscriminately posted to the various institutions sucks like having to live 48 hours in dumsor,it is frustratingly sad and tiresome. Like how— I know you have this clause about you posting a personnel to where they are needed not where the personnel wish to be.
Can you please tell me of what relevance will a Communication student be to the traffic directing outfit. When the MTTU are still struggling with the basics,even they that have had formal training are battling with the traffic light as if it is a chronic disease,need I ask how terrible a “layman” in this field would have it?. And how can you post someone who can still not differentiate between “Yours and Your’s” to  a school,what should they go and impart to these children who are probably daft in every sense of the word— I hear people were even posted to the mortuary, so you people cannot be reasonable about this posting too?. How are we to gain the practical knowledge of whatever we majored in.
Dear NSS Boss,
I heard the serving period has been extended and some additional 6 months has been added to the stipulated period. I guess it is one of the many ways you have employed to stay relevant because I doubt such nonsense can make home in any rational human being’s head. Is the serving by any means a gold rock that we are so burnt on having a piece for ourselves that we need extra time to make a cut. Some of us are even looking for ways to avoid the national canker let alone wanting to serve more. What you guys are refusing to see is National Service is not a lifetime occupation so we need it to last less a time as lightning.
Dear NSS Boss,
I think I have lamented enough but bear in mind that this isn’t the last time you are hearing from me,I shall return. Do well and increase the allowance and for the extension, I believe it is time you wake up from this daydream for night has come. Service to the nation indeed!.