NYSC to extend service year to 18 Months?

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The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, may extend the duration of National Youth Service from Twelve months to Eighteen months should the Scheme decide to act on  the recommendation of the Niger State Governor, Governor Babangida Aliyu, forwarded  to the Director General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Johnson Olawunmi, in Minna on Monday, Omo Oodua corresspondents have reported.

Governor  Babangida Aliyu had, while receiving the Director General who paid him a courtesy call at the Government House Minna,  requested that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year be extented from the current 12 months to 18 months so as to sustain the values in the scheme.

According to him, “there is need for the service year to be extended from 12 months to 18 months to give more room for the corps members to be exposed to more training so that Nigerians can appreciate the NYSC scheme instead of criticising it.”

He suggested that the Director General should look into some lapses already discovered in the operation of the NYSC scheme especially the springing up of fake NYSC camps corps members evading the service after inducing officials so that people will have more confidence in the scheme

According to him “Nigeria is not bad no matter the challenges we are facing Nigeria is doing well, no matter the conditions we are in we are doing better than most nations.

“We must bring back the original concept, the original plan of the founding fathers of the NYSC”.

Governor Aliyu therefore re-emphasised that those that failed to participate in the NYSC should be sanctioned not only in employment seeking but in other ways so that all youths will mandatorily participate in the programme.

Governor Aliyu also said his government will construct a new Orientation Camp.

He however did not disclose the cost of the project but added that the first phase will include the hostel blocks, Director’s quarters and the quarter guard stand.

Aliyu further stated that the government will continue to partner with the NYSC to make youth corps members deployed to the state to continue to live in peace and harmony with the host community.

Earlier the Director General of the NYSC Brigadier General Johnson Olawunmi had told the governor that he was impressed with what he has seen at the temporary NYSC camp at Paiko in Niger state and the level of collaboration between the scheme and the state government.

Brigadier General Olawunmi announced that to check the proliferation of NYSC camps and fake NYSC members the scheme had begun the computerization of all its activities insisting that very soon information about corps members will be received at the shortest notice.

General Olawunmi noted that as the election year approaches there is the need for more action to be taken to secure the lives and property of corps members adding that he will be personally visiting the states of the federation to access the security situation there ahead and during the election.