The orientation course for fresh graduates mobilized for Batch ‘C’ of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme took off across the country on November 15 with instructions for those posted to the volatile Yobe and Borno states not to report there.
They have since been reposted to Nasarawa and Benue States, in fulfillment of NYSC’s pledge not to post participants to places where their safety cannot be guaranteed. We congratulate all Batch ‘C’ corps members and commend the NYSC for reposting those initially posted to the troubled states.
The decision is a realistic move, especially given the recent wave of bombings in those areas, which left no fewer than 100, including a youth corps member, dead.
The NYSC ought not to have even posted anyone to those states at all. But, better late than never. Nigeria cannot afford to send her young graduates to insecure parts of the country. The targetted attacks on youth corps members and the burning of their residences in some Northern states in the aftermath of the presidential elections just few months ago indicates that the NYSC should exercise caution with regard to posting of participants in the scheme.
It is good that NYSC has done just this. The approach is definitely better than the calls for the scrapping of the scheme because it still serves useful purposes. It is a ready source of manpower for the entire country, especially the remote areas where many may ordinarily not want to work.
The challenge before the Federal Government, therefore, is to make service under the scheme safe. The appropriate authorities should be creative and proactive in securing lives of participants. This should include provision of more “Corpers Lodges” and adequate security for them. NYSC officials in the states and local governments should also be at alert to advise the members on developments that could threaten their security and make preparation for their evacuation whenever necessary. The participants should also be mindful of their security at all times.
Since the NYSC has demonstrated its readiness to relocate participants in the scheme from troubled states, we urge all new corps members to report wherever they are posted in the confidence that the NYSC officials have conducted necessary audit and found the places safe before posting them there. In that regard, reports of corps members besieging the NYSC headquarters in Abuja for re-deployment from many of the Northern States are not in the best interest of the scheme. This will only whittle down the authority of the NYSC and the unity that the scheme is designed to promote.
To promote crises-free service year for participants, we enjoin Nigerians to play a more direct role in securing their lives. The people should do everything possible to ensure that we do not sacrifice the lives of our promising young men and women on the altar of promotion of national unity. There should also be commitment to reduction of general insecurity in the country. There is no doubt that Nigeria is under-policed and under-secured. There ought to be 24-hour security watch on the nation, especially in the midnight hours, when our policemen appear to be generally off duty. This is the time policemen are most needed, but it is the time they are hardly found on the streets.
Those found to be guilty of perpetrating violence in past incidents should be brought to justice to deter recurrence of such acts and improve general security of the people. Government at all levels, traditional, religious and community leaders, and NYSC officials across the nation should also institute public enlightenment campaigns before the arrival of youth corps members in their places of primary assignment.
It is necessary to educate the people, especially in the crises-prone and remote parts of the country on the role of the corps members and the benefits they offer the communities in which they serve. The need to welcome and accept the participants, as well as ensure their security, should be communicated to the communities via the media and local communication channels. If this is done, it will help the acceptance of the participants by people in the local communities, and ensure a crises-free service period.
For Yobe and Borno, efforts should be made to address the insecurity that has robbed them of the services of Batch ‘C’ corps members. The development is a lesson to all states on the importance of safeguarding participants in the NYSC scheme.
source:daily sun
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