From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has threatened to sanction Corps Producing Institutions that compromised in mobilising unqualified persons for the compulsory one year national service.
Director-General of the scheme, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, who gave the charge in his address at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Batch B pre-mobilisation workshop in Abuja on Tuesday, however noted that there have been tremendous improvements in the mobilization process.
“You will agree with me that the NYSC has recorded numerous achievements in its 48 years of existence.
“It is gratifying to note that such achievements are partly made possible by the support of critical stakeholders, especially through ideas emanating from forums of this nature.
“As a matter of fact, Management is delighted at the significant gains arising from our recent engagements, including the noticeable improvements in data integrity, reduction in entry errors, and renewed dedication by Student Affairs and Data Entry Officers of Corps Producing Institutions.
“Let me add, however, that few cases of wrong doing have also been identified, and we shall not shy away from applying sanctions on erring institutions and officials to serve as deterrent to others.
“While the NYSC Management remains deeply committed to the success of the Mobilization process, we expect other stakeholders to also be above board in the discharge of their responsibilities.
“This informed the choice of the Workshop theme, “Sustainable Mobilization Process: The Role of Stakeholders.” Therefore, we earnestly look forward to increased synergy as well as continuous improvements in handling of the established processes,” he said.
Contributing on the debate on the continued existence of the scheme, he stressed: “You may recall that the issue of continued relevance of the NYSC was recently taken to the front burner of national discourse.
“While the Scheme may not be totally immune from some challenges facing us as a nation, it is instructive to note that both the managers and participating youths have weathered through storm over the years as we keep alive the dream of our founding fathers.
“The major preoccupation of Management is to ensure that the Scheme remains responsive to national needs.
“For instance, while the nation was on lockdown as a result of COVID-19, we harnessed the skills of our Corps members for contribution towards containing the pandemic.
“Also, in a bid to address the challenge of graduate employment, NYSC has for the last nine years vigorously pursue skills and entrepreneurship training for Corps members with a view to empowering them for self employment and wealth creation.
“Our contributions to the promotion of national unity and integration as well as the impact of the Scheme on various spheres of development such as education, health, rural infrastructure, sports and other social services have continued to earn the applause of all and sundry.
“I wish to use this opportunity to thank Nigerians, including high-ranking public officials, traditional rulers, the media as well as students youth groups, for voicing out support for continued existence of the Scheme.
“I wish to express our appreciation to the FCT Administration for its continuous support for the Scheme. We also thank the Minister of Youth and Sports Development and our partners such as the Federal Ministry of Education, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the National Universities Commission (NUC). SIDMACH Technologies and all other invited guests for your support over the years,” he commended.