The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Corps members

  • Police probe Corps member’s death in Ilorin

    Police probe Corps member’s death in Ilorin

    The Kwara State Police Command has begun investigation into the death of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Yetunde Shukurat Idowu, in Ilorin, the state capital.

    The deceased was a member of the 2014 Batch “B”.

    Her body was said to have been found last Sunday night near the GRA in Ilorin.

    She was said to have gone shopping at a popular shopping mall the previous Saturday.

    The late Miss Idowu lived at Tanke on University Road.

    It was learnt that the Corps member might have been given a free ride.

    But the police said it was too early in the day to make such a conclusion because they were still probing the death.

    It was learnt that her family had been contacted while her body would be released today to the family.

    The late Miss Idowu served with the State Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio Kwara.

    Police spokesperson Okasanmi Ajayi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said: “We are still investigating. We cannot conclusively say it is a case of abduction or ritual killing because no part of the body was missing. It could be a case of a hit and run by a careless driver or an accident.

    “I can’t confirm that she was raped because all the examinations conducted on her do not show any sign of rape. We are still investigating. So, I cannot say exactly what happened.”

    On the likelihood that she might have been given a lift, Ajayi said: “All that is guesswork. Nobody has volunteered any statement to us. If anybody has any information, maybe they would get to us.

    “As far as we are concerned, it was a reported case of someone ‘found dead’ with a broken skull and bruises. For now, I can’t tell you whether it was a case of whether rape, abduction or kidnapping.”

    He said the body would be released today while the police investigate the death.

    The State NYSC spokesperson Oladipo Morakinya confirmed the incident.

    He said: “A corps member died and her death is a natural phenomenon. We have done the needful by contacting her family.”

    “It is only a medical expert that can diagnose what actually killed her. This is beyond the scope of our scheme. The most important thing is that a corps member died and the NYSC has done the necessary thing that we are expected to do. We have contacted her family.”

  • NYSC: no plan to underpay corps members on electoral duty

    THE management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) said yesterday that there was no plan to shortchange corps members serving as ad hoc workers in the on-going general elections.

    The NYSC, in a statement in Abuja by its Director, Public Relations Unit, Abosede Aderibigbe, denied an online publication misinforming Corps members that the allowance due to them for participation in the 2015 General Elections is N53,500.

    The NYSC said the originator of the false publication was also mobilising them to shun the next election on April 11, unless the money was paid.

    In the statement, the NYSC said: “Our preliminary investigation has so far indicated that this publication did not emanate from our Corps members and it is a mischievous circulation by some unscrupulous elements to discourage Corps members from participating in the next election for whatever reasons best known to them.

    “To correct the misinformation, management hereby wishes to put the record straight for public awareness and restate to Corps members in clear terms their true entitlement for the elections.

    “The allowances for each Corps member are as follows, training allowance of N4,500 only paid directly by INEC to Corps members for the training held before elections.

    “For each of the two elections, a Corps member is entitled to N13,000 only, which breaks down to  N9,000, N3,000 and N1,000 for honoraria, transportation and feeding respectively.

    “This implies that for the two elections, the total allowance due to each Corps member is N26,000 only.

    “The fund for these was approved by INEC and remitted directly into each of the NYSC state Secretariat’s account a week before the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    “Management has confirmed that the amount of N13,000 for the Presidential and National Assembly elections has been paid and any Corps member, who could not receive the payment latest 6pm on Tuesday April 7, should make a complaint through the necessary channels.

    “Also, management has directed that the N13,000 allowance for the  April 11 Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections should be paid in advance by all NYSC State Secretariats latest by Friday, April 10, 2015.

    “Corps members are however to note that for those who receive the advance payment for the  April election 11 and thereafter opt out of participation for whatever reason, the paid amount will be deducted from their April 2015 monthly allowance.”

  • NYSC denies death of corps members

    National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) yesterday denied a media report of the death of two corps members, who served as ad-hoc workers in Gombe State during the Presidential and the National Assembly elections.

    In a statement by the Director of Press, Mrs. Bose Aderibigbe, in Abuja, the corps said the two people, whose names were broadcast by Channels TV, were INEC ad hoc workers and not corps members serving as ad hoc workers.

    She, however, commiserated with the families of the deceased.

     

  • Reject inducement, NYSC DG, Jega tell corps members

    Reject inducement, NYSC DG, Jega tell corps members

    THE Director-General, National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen.Johnson Olawunmi, and the Independent National Election Commission’s (INEC’s) Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, have admonished corps members billed to participate in the elections to shun inducement.

    The corps members were assured of prompt payment of their allowances before and after election duties.

    Reading from Brig.-Gen. Olawunmi and Prof. Jega message to the corps members at the Lokoja Township Stadium in Kogi State, the  state NYSC Coordinator, Mrs. Olabanji Agatha, urged them to build on the success of the 2011 elections and make the nation proud.

    With their academic exposure, she said, a high sense of patriotism and integrity was expected from them.

    Each participating corps member will receive N32,000 for the March 28 and April 11 national assignments.

    The message also reads: “As corps members, who have been exposed to a high academic knowledge, ideals and objectives of NYSC, it is expected of you to handle this critical assignment with a high sense of patriotism, integrity, diligence and responsibility.”

  • Group bids Corps members bye

    A Community Development Service (CDS) group of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Ilorin South Local Government Area has organised a send off for the 2014 Batch “A” Corps members.

    The event was held at the Cherubim and Seraphim College in Sabo Oke area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. It also featured election  of leaders that will pilot the group’s affairs for some months.

    The electoral committee was headed by an outgoing Corps member, Yusuf Afolabi. Three persons contested for president.

    Chidubem Emekwisia was elected president, beating his close opponent with three votes. Temitope Kolawole is Vice-President; Martha Aubenake, the secretary.

    Others elected include Adebayo Onisile, Public Relations Officer, Damilola Atoyebi, Treasurer, Ibraheem Bale, Financial Secretary, Peter Udoh, Welfare Officer and Idris Abubakar, Provost.

    Chidubem, in his acceptance speech, said his emergence was an indication of his contribution to the group’s activities.  He hailed his colleagues for the confidence reposed in him, promising he would not betray their trust. He urged members to support his drive to use the CDS as platform to engender a corruption-free society.

    The CDS Supervisor, Mr Hanas Alfa, praised the outgoing Corps members for their maturity and good programmes. He urged members of the group not to relent in their campaign against graft and misconduct.

    Ibraheem Alli, who spoke on behalf of the outgoing Corps members, said the successes recorded by the group were made possible by the administrative proficiency of their supervisor, saying the youth would take the message back to their various homes.

    Advising the CDS leaders, Alli said: “Learn to sweep your house from inside not from outside. Let us be the good eyes of the group we represent. For the country to move forward, corruption must be stopped. Anti-graft agencies and personnel must be at the centre of the campaign against corruption.”

  • Corps members sensitise pupils on exam malpractice

    Members of the Editorial Board of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, have embarked on a campaign to secondary schools on the evil of malpractice.

    The campaign with the theme: The evil of examination malpractice took the Corps members to Government Day Secondary School in Salihu Dogo area of Jalingo.

    The leader of the Editorial Board, Fineface Welechi, described exam fraud as a cankerworm that portended danger  for the nation and the future of education. He encouraged the pupils to join action against malpractice by ensuring they report their colleagues indulging in it to their teachers and other stakeholders.

    The NYSC Coordinator, Mr T.K. Freeman, encouraged the students to shun distractions that would endanger their future and concentrate on their studies. He praised the group for the programme and pledged the support of the NYSC directorate for such initiative.

    The principal of the school, Mr Haruna Ezra, hailed the Corps members for the “good programme”, appealing to them to extend the sensitisation to other local governments and higher institutions in the state.

    Some of the pupils, who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE, said they were  well-informed on the dangers of indulging in exam malpractice.

  • Corps members hold debate for pupils

    Corps members hold debate for pupils

    Members of the Editorial Board of the Taraba State directorate of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have organised a debate contest for Senior Secondary School pupils in Jalingo, the state capital.

    The contest was held at the Federal Science and Technical College and supported by the Ministry of Education. Four schools, including Government College, Rhema Christian Academy, Federal Government Girls’ College, and the host school, participated in the competition.

    Guest at the event included the representative of the Commissioner of Education, Mr Umar Aliu, representative of the NYSC State Coordinator, Mr Ban John, the principal of the host school, Dr E.O. Adeola, and NYSC Inspector in Jalingo, Mr Joseph Upkabuchi, amongst others.

    Dr Adeola praised the editorial crew for organising an educative event to bring the best out of students. He enjoined the Corps members to sustain the exercise, urging the participants to avail themselves of the opportunities presented to them by the organisers.

    The debate divided in stages. In the first phase, Federal Government Girls’ College contested against Government College on the topic: Academic performance is positively affected by the media.

    The second phase had Rhema Christian College against the Federal College of Science and Technology on the topic: Stay home mothers are better than working mothers.

    The judges, comprising officials of the Education ministry and the NYSC Public Relations Officer, Mr Daniels Esiemokai announced the winners for the rounds. Government College and Rhema Christian College, who won the first and second phases, met on the topic: Federal system of government is better than unitary system. Government College supported the motion, while Rhema Christian College opposed it.

    At the end of the exercise, Rhema College won the debate, while Government College came second. Pauline Samson, a Senior Secondary School Three student of Federal Science and Technical College emerged the best debater, while Ruth Okoye of Rhema Christian College came second. Prizes were given to the two outstanding schools and debaters.

    The president of the Editorial Board, Fineface Welechi, a Batch “C” Corps member, saluted the pupils for putting their best in the contest. He encouraged them to remain steadfast in their academic endeavour. Welechi praised ministry and the management of the NYSC in the state for their support.

     

     

  • Don’t use corps members for polls, INEC urged

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been advised not to engage National Youths Service Corps (nysc) members as ad hoc staff for general elections next month.

    This advice was given by Dr Ayo Yussuf of the Department of Linguistics African and Asian Studies, University of Lagos.

    Yussuf, who recommended that locals, who know their localities well, be recruited instead, spoke against the backdrop of violence that erupted in some parts of the north shortly after the 2011 presidential elections when some corps members used by INEC were killed.

    He said: “You know we have a government that talks from both sides of the mouth. They (government) will always tell you there is no cause for violence (during elections) or they may want to lure the youth corps with a fat pay. But we know there will always be violence at the end of the day. So my take is that rather than incorporate youth corps as ad hoc staff, INEC should recruit individuals that understand their terrain.

    “For instance, I have a daughter who is serving in Edo State. No one prays for violence, but let us assume it breaks out, she doesn’t understand either their terrain or language, and that could be dangerous for her.  But insiders know the terrain and people especially those who perpetrate atrocities around them which make the incidence of attacks less likely.”

    Dr Yussuf said recent events of attacks in schools by Boko Haram and the April, last year’s abduction of over 200 girls in Chibok are evidences that the Federal Government is no longer in control of the country’s security.

    Yusuf’s view was corroborated by the former National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS)’s  President, Comrade Dauda Muhammed, who said if INEC must recruit corps members, they should work in low-risk regions.

    He urged his contemporaries not to allow themselves to be used as easy tools for violence by unscrupulous politicians in the forthcoming elections, saying that unlike in 2011 elections,  fears of likely violence are heightened. He urged the government to beef up security nationwide.

    “The violence that claimed innocent lives of corps members in some parts of the north during the general election is still fresh in our memories. Every life is as important as the other. Therefore, I do not support that corps members be redeployed to any violence-prone area if at all INEC wants to recruit them,” he said.

    Speaking on the failure of the Federal Government to pay the second tranche of the N220 billion it agreed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) last year, Yussuf lamented that the government did not keep its promises.  He faulted some universities for not involving ASUU members in implementing the needs assessment projects.

    He said: “It is also obvious that government makes promises and reneges at will.  They always pretend to comply by signing an agreement in order to call off the strike. We knew what ASUU went through before that agreement was signed. But in contrast with the spirit of that agreement, it is unfortunate that today some of these universities are not involving ASUU members in the committee that will oversee how this money is undertaken on projects. Our case today is now like the hunter that suffered in the jungle before he killed the game only for someone else to hijack it from him.”

     

     

    “Though I am not speaking for ASUU, I am not in support of any strike action now so that government does not see ASUU as rocking the democratic boat. All we can do is to continue to pressure government perhaps after the election.”

     

  • Our camp experience, by Corps members

    Our camp experience, by Corps members

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, who participated in the orientation for the first stream of Batch “C”, have been reliving their experiences. Some say it was good; others claim it was not so good, write OLUWAFEMI OGUNJOBI (NYSC, Makurdi) and PHILIP OKORODUDU (NYSC, Jalingo).

    THE  orientation for the first set of Batch ‘C’ National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members ended last Monday, setting the stage for another set of graduates to undergo the training. But for those, who participated in the scheme, the journey started on a mixed note of excitement and disappointment.

    Some of them travelled for more than 15 hours to get to their states of deployment. But for others, it was a short journey.

    Samuel Osho, who was posted to Taraba State, spent 23 hours on the road before he got to the camp. The bus he was travelling in had an overnight stopover in Benue State before continuing the journey the following day. Samuel said: “It was the longest journey I have ever made.”

    When the Corps members got to their camps, they were welcomed by NYSC officials and military personnel, who searched their luggage to ensure no harmful object was brought in. This exercise lasted several hours, because of the number of those involved.

    Although registration was orderly in some camps, it was so in others, as the youth were stranded for several hours. After they were given uniforms and kits, the course commenced. The Corps members were drilled.

    Unlike campus hostels, where students do not have bed time, every Corps member is expected to sleep after 10pm and wake up at 4am when they hear the sound from the military bingle. They were expected to prepare for the morning parade and exercises. Anyone found on the bed during the parade was punished. Life there was not the same with campus life, which gives students freedom to either participate or absent from academics.

    “I heard so many unpalatable stories, especially how soldiers could punish all Corps members for an offence committed by one person. Indeed, I experienced this. We were punished in the daylight and midnight when our hostel was messes up. There were Corps members whose clothes were soaked with water for missing morning parades. Now, I know some of the stories I heard about camp life are true,” Esther Arowosafe, a graduate of OAU, said.

    The Wannune Camp in Benue State was a beehive during the orientation session. The villagers made brisk business, rendering various services to the Corps members. Everything the Corps members needed was readily available at the door steps.

    But, while some of the Corps members have good tales to tell about their experience, others have sour experiences.

    Tunde Sanni, a Corps member in Taraba State, was rushed from the parade ground to the camp clinic after he collapsed during a physical exercise. Reliving the experience, Tunde said: “Prior to my admission at the camp clinic, I heard unpleasant stories about the condition of medical services in the campus and they were not exaggerated.

     

    The camp clinic lacked adequate medical personnel to take care of Corps members, who fell sick during the orientation training.

    “Most of the medical staff in the clinic were Corps members. When it comes to diagnosing patients, the clinic does not have facilities to do so. The most disheartening is non-availability of drugs. The situation was so serious that people were told to come back for their drugs. Despite, these shortcomings, the authorities were able to maintain a clean and safe environment.”

    At the temporary camp in Government College, Jalingo, the hopes of many Corps members were dashed after they discovered the camp lack basic amenities, such as good toilet, electricity and bathroom.

    For Dhikrullah Akinola, it was a memorable experience at the Plateau State NYSC camp. He said: “My stay in Mangu camp was wonderful. Initially, the harsh weather condition almost discouraged me but it was fun after all.”

    Joy Idoko, a graduate of Business Administration at the Benue State University, said she had fond memories of the orientation training. She said: “Despite that our bed time was altered, I still enjoyed my stay in the camp. It attended some educative programme and acquire skill, which can make me to be self-reliant.”

    Johnson Imaga, who is serving in Bayelsa State, said he would not forget his experience at Kaiama Orientation Camp in a hurry. Johnson said his hostel was notorious for unruly behaviours. He said: “We were subjected to harsh punishment and paid dearly for our stubbornness.”

     

  • Bill on corps members’ welfare scales second reading

    Bill on corps members’ welfare scales second reading

    A Bill for the amendment of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Act to enhance the welfare of corps members and ensure their acquisition of special business and commercial skills went through the second reading yesterday at the House of Representatives.

    The Bill, among other things, seeks to allow corps members to pass through skill acquisition programmes during the mandatory one-year service after their graduation from tertiary institutions.

    The Bill, which was sponsored by Moshood Mustapha, is titled: “A bill for an Act to Amend the National Youths Service corps Act, No. 51 of 2004 to embody certain provisions aimed at enhancing the welfare needs of Corps Members, enable their acquisition of special business and commercial skills and empower them financially to fend for themselves at the end of their service and for other Matters Connected Therewith.” It was referred to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the1999 Constitution and the House Committee on Youth Development.

    Mustapha (APC Kwara) explained that the proposed amendment would encourage self-employment and reduce unemployment and poverty in the country.

    In the proposed amendment to the Bill, Section 7(3) seeks to increase the State Government’s annual subvention from N500,000 with N50 million to enable it cater adequately for the welfare ‘and skill acquisition’ needs of Corp members deployed to the State.