Africa
The Hidden Value of NYSC: Lessons from Seyi Vodi and Chiboy -By Zayd Ibn Isah
One day, he passed a kilishi (spiced dried meat) stand. The aroma stopped him in his tracks. Intrigued by the slicing, spicing, and sun-drying process, he asked to learn. But there was a problem: the language barrier. The sellers spoke Hausa. He didn’t. Yet, through gestures, signs, smiles, and mutual respect, they made it work.
Celebrity tailor, Seyi Adekunle, popularly known as Seyi Vodi, recently marked his 50th birthday with pomp and pageantry. The event, which took place at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, drew the crème de la crème of Nigerian society, including former Liberian President and Africa’s only Ballon d’Or winner, George Weah.
I once read in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart that “when a child washes his hands, he can eat with kings.” While a fifty-year-old man is no longer a child, we must remember that Seyi Vodi didn’t become a household name overnight. He planted the seed of success long ago. The land may not have been fertile at first, but he didn’t throw in the towel. Today, not only is he a brand, he has also redefined the tailoring profession in Nigeria.
Whenever I see Seyi Vodi hanging the measuring tape on his neck anywhere he goes, the way doctors in the hospital hang their stethoscopes on their necks, I see a man who is diligent at what he does. His journey, as I noted in an earlier article published in Daily Trust, where I drew parallels between his life and the message in Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami’s book “Skills Rather Than Just Degrees”, is a powerful source of inspiration. According to him, he learned tailoring from friends he met during his National Youth Service in Akwa Ibom State.
I won’t dwell on that, as I’ve explored it before. What I want to emphasize here is the deeper lesson behind his story, and what we can all take from it.
In recent years, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has come under intense scrutiny, with increasing calls for its abolition. Critics argue the scheme has outlived its purpose, that the unity it was designed to foster after the civil war is now a distant dream.
But consider this: what if the NYSC didn’t exist? Or what if Seyi Vodi, after being posted to faraway Akwa Ibom, had worked a relocation back to Lagos or Abuja, as many young Nigerians do today? He may never have met the friends who taught him how to sew. That single decision, to stay and serve, ultimately shaped the future of the Vodi brand.
Sometimes, the opportunities that define our destinies don’t come dressed in suits or seated behind desks. Sometimes, they show up as friends, lessons, or challenges in unfamiliar places. Seyi Vodi embraced such a moment, and built an empire from it.
He’s not alone.
Consider the story of a young Igbo entrepreneur from Anambra who was posted to Sokoto for NYSC. At first, he wanted to redeploy, like many others. But fate had other plans.
One day, he passed a kilishi (spiced dried meat) stand. The aroma stopped him in his tracks. Intrigued by the slicing, spicing, and sun-drying process, he asked to learn. But there was a problem: the language barrier. The sellers spoke Hausa. He didn’t. Yet, through gestures, signs, smiles, and mutual respect, they made it work.
He spent weeks under the Sokoto sun, making mistakes, learning, laughing, and building bonds beyond words. That experience changed his life. Today, that young man, now known as Chiboy, runs Jerky Delight Foods, one of the fastest-growing kilishi brands in Lagos. What he sells isn’t just meat. It’s memory. It’s culture. It’s passion, sealed in spice.
There’s another lesson here: the power of relationships. I once read a quote in a motivational book: “The friends you keep can either make you or mar you.” That couldn’t be more accurate.
The friends Seyi Vodi made during NYSC didn’t just pass time with him, they passed on a life-changing skill. Similarly, the kilishi sellers in Sokoto didn’t speak Chiboy’s language, but they gave him something even more valuable: opportunity, mentorship, and trust.
As young people, we must be intentional about the company we keep. Not every friend will teach you to sew or spice beef, but true friends should sharpen your mind, inspire your growth, and bring you closer to purpose. Had Seyi Vodi surrounded himself with the wrong crowd, or had Chiboy dismissed that Sokoto moment, we might never have heard of them today.
This is why I advise those calling for the abolition of NYSC to pause. Yes, the scheme is far from perfect. And yes, the growing insecurity in parts of the country, especially kidnappings and attacks on corps members, is a legitimate concern.
But instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, we should fix what’s broken. When it functions as intended, NYSC delivers enormous benefits, from fostering unity in a fragmented nation, to bridging unemployment gaps, to offering young Nigerians meaningful exposure to different cultures and experiences.
The stories of Seyi Vodi and Chiboy are living proof that what many see as a waste of time can be a springboard for greatness, if only we open our eyes to the possibilities around us.
Zayd Ibn Isah can be reached at lawcadet1@gmail.com
