The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced that the organisation will no longer send corps members to states deemed risky due to the country’s deteriorating security situation.
Jamila Ibrahim, the Minister of Youth, revealed this during an interview with Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
Recall that some corps members have been kidnapped in various parts of the country while serving their one-year required national service, raising concerns about the scheme’s viability.
However, Ibrahim stated that the organisation has taken precautions to ensure the safety of NYSC members, including placing them solely in safe states.
She said, “As an immediate intervention of the government and the NYSC as an agency, we have actually stopped posting corps members to the very unsafe states.
“We have been doing it. We have done it in the past. There are states we have not been posting corps members to to ensure their safety,” she added.
According to her, the protection of corps members necessitates cooperation with other government institutions.
The minister said, “When it comes to security matters, it is a multi-sectoral approach. So, it is not the NYSC alone and the ministry that are involved. We are working with security outlets to ensure corps members are safe.
“We are also working on group transportation strategies for them to ensure that they are transported to and from camps safely and to their destinations.”
The minister stated that the Federal Government is working to restructure the NYSC plan to reflect the current realities of the nation, particularly in terms of their allowance.
Ibrahim said, “When it comes to remuneration, we are looking at the holistic funding of the NYSC. You are all aware that we have announced a reform of the NYSC scheme itself. We want the scheme to go beyond being a social programme of the government.
“The reforms will actually transform the NYSC into a revenue-generating agency and prepare corps members for the job market.”
