The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NYSC

  • Revitalising the NYSC

    •Inadequate funding is a major issue to be tackled

    In the aftermath of the gruesome civil war (1967-1970) that consumed over two million lives, it was only natural that the Federal Government would be preoccupied with measures, strategies and policies to enhance national unity and prevent a recurrence of such a monumental tragedy. One of the mechanisms through which the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon (retd) sought to achieve this goal was the establishment, in 1973, of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme designed to enable graduates of universities, and later polytechnics, observe a mandatory period of service for one year in parts of the country different from their areas of origin.

    The purpose was to enable participants interact, work and live with people of other tribes, cultures, languages, religions and social backgrounds across Nigeria’s diverse ethno-regional mosaic during the period of national service. It also offers opportunities for participants to be gainfully engaged for one year after graduation, during which period they can begin to search for permanent jobs.

    Four and a half decades after the setting up of the NYSC, the otherwise laudable scheme has obviously become a victim of the debilitating malaise of deficient planning and lack of proactive foresight. It is obvious, for instance, that adequate account has not been taken of the phenomenal explosion in the number of participants in the exercise with the geometric expansion of the number of tertiary institutions in the country.

    One consequence of this lapse is the severe dilapidation and inadequacy of facilities in many of the NYSC orientation camps across most states as noted last week by the director-general of the scheme, General Suleiman Kazaure. His call on all stakeholders to begin to work towards the provision of the necessary facilities to enhance the efficacy of the scheme is most timely.

    But the problems plaguing the NYSC transcend the functional efficiency and environmental convenience of the orientation camps. Financing of the scheme, for example, has clearly not kept pace with the increasing scale of its challenges. This is most acutely reflected in the allowances to corps members who are mostly grossly underpaid, paid late or many times not paid at all. Again, a majority of participants are not provided with adequate and sanitary accommodation and have to make do with unsatisfactory, dehumanising and inconvenient arrangements.

    Corps members also tend to be among the most vulnerable groups to the insecurity and violence across the country, with many of them losing their lives in gory circumstances. The self-esteem of participants can certainly also not be enhanced by the tendency of government agencies and other employers to treat them as stop-gap sources of cheap labour.

    Within the context of deep sectional fissures currently sundering the country’s unity, stability and harmony, the continuous relevance of the NYSC cannot be in doubt. However, urgent steps must be taken to convene a stakeholders’ forum to thoroughly reappraise and overhaul its organisational structure, operational and financing modalities, as well as devise ways of more creatively utilising the skills and energies of participants in the national interest.

    It is heartwarming that General Kazaure commended the Oyo State government for providing and routinely maintaining a standard camp for the NYSC located in Iseyin. We are also aware that the Borno State government has provided modern facilities, tight security and impressive welfare incentives for corps members. These are examples worth emulating by other states.

    If, however, as Kazaure stressed, the NYSC’s enabling law saddles states with the responsibility of provision and maintenance of orientation camps, it is important that they be properly funded to play this role, particularly in the light of the unsavoury economic circumstances confronting most of them. The NYSC also ought to look inward with a view to curtailing the humongous corruption that had often been the bane of the organisation in the past.

  • Emir of Daura warns youths against drug abuse

    Emir of Daura in Katsina State, Alhaji Farouk Umar, has called for more vigilance and collaboration between the customs and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to stem the menace of drug abuse.

    Farouk made the call in Daura on Thursday when he received members of the NYSC Free Drug Club who were on sensitisation mission on the dangers of drug abuse.

    He said customs and NDLEA needed to redouble their efforts and intensify surveillance, to detect importers, sellers, buyers and the end users of illicit drugs.

    He described the instances of drug abuse, especially among the youth, as dangerous and inimical to the socioeconomic development of the nation, stressing we would unconditionally continue to support the fight against the dangerous trend.

    Farouk commended the organisers of the event, describing it as timely and educative.

    Earlier in his remarks, the President of the Daura NYSC Drug Free Club, Mr Mbalisike Stanley, said members were at the palace to inform the emir about the activities of the club in the area.

    Read Also: Emir of Daura seeks prayer for Buhari

    He described the cases of drug abuse among the youth as pathetic and dangerous to the health of the addicts, stressing that a reasonable percentage of mental challenges in the area was attributed to drug abuse.

    Malam Sani Mohammed, an NDLEA official in the area, assured the emir that his office would not relent in arresting and prosecuting drug addicts and the barons.

    He said the agency had created an operational synergy with the Nigerian customs on how to check the instances of importation, sales and consumption of controlled drugs and other narcotic substances.

    The news men reports that the Daura emirate recently inaugurated a local committee that would check in cities and villages the instances of abuse in drugs.

    NAN

  • NYSC: 16 Requirements for ongoing Registration/Mobilization

    NYSC: 16 Requirements for ongoing Registration/Mobilization

    Graduates are to visit the Nysc portal via www.nysc.org.ng for online registration and bio-metric data capture.

    Here is a list of requirements that will qualify you for registration and mobilization.

    1. Prospective Corps members should ensure that they have functional e-mail addresses that they can access and Nigerian (GSM) telephone numbers with which to register.

    2. Locally trained prospective Corps members are expected to use correct Matriculation numbers to register

    3. For locally-trained graduates, only those whose names appear in the Senate/Academic Board Approved Result lists submitted by their Institutions will have access to the register on the NYSC portal.

    4. Foreign-trained prospective corps members should ensure that their Institutions are accredited. Where in doubt, it is their responsibility to approach Federal Ministry of Education for verification. The letter of verification must be uploaded during registration.

    5. Those who graduated from Institutions outside Nigeria, (Foreign-trained graduates), are to visit the NYSC portal, register and upload the following documents:

    1. West African School Certificate (WASC) (with not less than 5 Credits at 2 sittings) or its equivalent; or General Certificate of Education (GCE O’ Level) (with not less than 5 Credits at 2 sittings) or its equivalent; or NECO (with not less than 5 Credits at 2 sittings) or its equivalent; or High School Diploma or its equivalent.

    2. First Degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) Certificate (Second Degree or Ph.D not necessary).

    3. Transcript of the first Degree or HND.

    4. International travelling Passport showing data page and date of departure for the course of study.

    6. It is the responsibility of the prospective corps members who studied in non-English speaking countries to get their Certificates and Transcripts translated into English language before uploading.

    7. All graduates of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Physiotheraphy, Radiology, Optometry, Medical Laboratory Science and Pharmacy are expected to have their Certificates of Registration with their professional bodies. Payment receipts are not acceptable.

    8. Unlike in the past, Foreign-trained graduates should NOT visit NYSC Headquarters, Abuja for verification of their documents. This exercise will now be done at the Orientation Camps. They should simply print their call-up letters on-line and report at the Orientation camps in their States of deployment, but should come to the camp with the original documents they uploaded for verification.

    9. Anybody who presents any fake document will be demobilized and decamped.

    10. Prospective corps members should ensure that Passport photographs used meet the following specifications:

    1. Ensure your face (eyes, nose, ears, mouth and jaw) is fully shown without bending

    2. Ensure the picture fills the frame and centralized

    3. Ensure the Photo background is white or off-white with no shadow.

    11. On no account should prospective corps members register by PROXY. They should also remember the fingers used for their biometric capturing as these will be used for verification at the orientation camps. Those who cannot be verified with their biometric at the orientation camp will not be registered.

    12. Only prospective corps members who want their call-up numbers sent to them through SMS and wish to PRINT their call-up letters on-line are expected to pay (see NYSC Portal on how to make payment).

    13. Prospective Corps members, who do not want to pay, have the option of going to their schools to collect their call-up numbers and call-up letters.

    14. All prospective corps members who paid for the online registration before but were not mobilized need not pay again.

    15. Married female prospective corps members (whether locally or foreign-trained) should upload copies of their marriage Certificates, evidence of Change of name and their husbands’ place of domicile during registration.

    16. The orientation camp is highly not ideal for pregnant and nursing mothers. Prospective corps members in this category are therefore to note that they will not be accommodated.

  • MDAs prohibited from rejecting Corps members – Kazaure

    The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Brigadier General Suleiman Kazuare has said that government Ministries, Departments and Agencies should not reject Corps Members posted to them as this violates the government.

    The DG stated this during the 2018 Corps Employers Workshop at the Education Resource Center in Abakaliki.

    He also warned that the scheme will not spare any Corps Employers or other persons aiding and abetting absenteeism and abscondment from service by Corps members.

    According to him, efforts at curbing absenteeism and abscondment is being frustrated by some Corps Employers stressing that this would no longer be tolerated by the scheme.

    “Let me remind you that a susbsisting circular from the Federal Government Ref: No: SGF. 15/T/ 90 dated 13th November 2008 which directs that Government Ministries, departments and Agencies (MDAs) should not reject any corps member posted to them”.

    “We have increased the number of regular inspection of Corps Members at their places of primary assignment while ensuring that absentee Corps Members are sanctioned. The scheme will not spare Corps Employers and other persons who may be found liable in aiding and abetting absenteeism and abscondment from service by Corps Members.”

    Kazuare who was represented by an Assistant Director at the National Directorate of NYSC in Abuja, Mrs. Grace Ugo Enege urged government establishments and corps employers to make budgetary provisions for the welfare of corps members rather than rejecting them.

    He also disclosed that the scheme have recorded great success in the online registration and clearance of corps members stating that this have further stemmed evasion of service and other unwholesome practices by the corp members.

    In her address, the Ebonyi state NYSC Coordinator, Mrs. Illuebbey Regina said though Ebonyi is very hospitable to corps members, more still needs to be done by Corps employers as part of their sacred obligation to create a conducive environment for the cops members to enable them render selfless service to the country.

    It is a known fact that corps members are adequately motivated, they perform excellently well in their duties. In view of the forgoging, it is also necessary to remind ourselves that corps members being mostly non-indigenes in the state of service need and deserve bountiful hospitality from their host communities to optimally discharge their duties.

    She said that the challenges of evasion of rejection, under-utilization and evasion of service need to be tackled for the improvement in the delivery of youth based intervention.

    Commissioner for Youth and Sports in Ebonyi state and State Chairman, NYSC Governing Board, Charles Akpu-Enika called for punishment of employers and officials who conspire to cover up corps members who are not on ground.

    “This ugly trend has negated the principles and practice of the service year as a platform for graduate Nigerian youths to offer one yearof unbroken selfless service to the Nation. I do hope sincerely that this is no longer the case as it is an aberration which must not be condoned”

  • NYSC blacklists Osun school for attacking corps members

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Osun State has blacklisted Osogbo High School, following an attack on corps members by pupils suspected to be cult members.

    NYSC Coordinator in Osun State, Mr Emmanuel Attah, announced the decision yesterday at this year’s NYSC/corps employers’ workshop in Osogbo, the capital.

    Attah said employers were expected to provide for the  accommodation, welfare and security of corps members, adding that those who served last year at Osogbo High School were attacked by pupils suspected to be cultists.

    The coordinator noted that the failure of the  headteacher to protect corps members culminated in the blacklisting of the school.

    NYSC’s Director General Brig-Gen. Sulaiman Kazaure, who was represented by Mr Sadiq Ipaku, said rejection, under-utilisation, inadequate welfare as well as lack of accommodation and transport for corps members were challenges facing the scheme.

    Kazaure said a Federal Government circular had directed ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) not to reject corps members posted to them.

    The NYSC chief said the workshop was organised to appreciate the partnership between the scheme and employers.

    He added that the workshop also identified challenges in corps administration and proffered solutions.

  • NUC approves Zamfara State University as 47th state university

    The National Universities Commission ( NUC ) on Monday approved Zamfara State University as the  47th state university and 162 among universities in the country.

    Prof. Abubakarheed, the Executive Secretary, NUC while giving a letter of approval to the government of Zamfara state in Abuja, called for more dedication toward promoting education development in the state and country.

    Abubakar also urged the government of Zamfara to take full advantage of the establishment of the university and contribute its quota to advance the course of education.

    He commended the governor for setting aside N3billion for specific use in staff development, establishment fund and laboratory equipment.

    According to him, this commitment is a good model that should be emulated by whoever wants to establish a university.

    “I write on behalf of NUC that with effect from Monday, March 12, the Zamfara State University is approved as the 47th state university and also 162 universities in Nigeria.

    “Zamfara is the last state to establish a university. But the establishment is apt when you will have to key into the reform programme the NUC is having now and will be of benefit to you.

    “The NUC is looking at how we can be more effective in our regulation of all universities in Nigeria.”

    Rasheed said investment in higher education, educational growth and knowledge was becoming more important than the natural resources.

    He, however, urged the state to increase its activities that would enable the university achieve its goals as it commenced operations later in the year.

    He said JAMB, TETFund and NYSC had been notified of the establishment of the university.

    The Zamfara state governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari said the event was historic as it would mark the beginning of effort to make Zamfara great, especially in the education.

    Yari said the establishment of the university would afford the opportunity to provide education for the teaming youths of the state and as well provide increased development in education.

    He said the courses to be offered would cut across social and natural sciences to quickly address the manpower need of the country.

    He said the government had set aside N3billion as take-off grant for the university.

    “Out of this N3billion, N1billion will be for staff training, N1billion for establishment fund and the other N1billion for laboratory equipment.

    “We believe that university education should not be exclusive but be made accessible irrespective of individual social background.’’

    According to him, a 350 beds hospital is under construction, which will take off as a university teaching hospital.

    Yari, however, said that the committee on the establishment of the university, which had been working for over eight months, had recommended a conventional type of university.

    He promised to make welfare of staff as paramount, adding that the state would avoid owing salaries.

    Yari also presented the physical master plan of the university and laws that would govern operations of the university to the Executive Secretary of NUC.

    NAN

  • NYSC mobilization details for 2018 Batch A

    S/N Event Date
    1 2018 Batch ‘A’ Pre-Mobilization Workshop 5th – 9th March 2018
    2 Briefing/Sensitization of Final year students/prospective corps Members. 5th March – 16th April 2018
    3 Display of list of all approved programmes for institutions on NYSC portal for cross checking and feedback 9th – 13th March 2018
    4 Collation of Prospective Corps Members’ Data by Corps Producing Institutions CPIs 9th – 13th March 2018
    5 Submission/Uploading of Senate/Academic Board Approved Results for Full/Part-Time Graduates and Revalidation Lists by CPIs 19th – 24th March 2018
    6 On-line Registration by Foreign and locally Trained Nigerian Graduates 26th March – 8th April 2018
    7 Deployment and Printing of Call-up Letters by ICT Department 9th – 11th April, 2018
    8 Notification/On-line Printing of Call-up Letters/Delivery of Call-up letters to Institutions (stream I) 12th – 15th April, 2018
    9 On-line Printing of Deployment Disposition by Corps Producing Institutions (CPIs) 12th – 16th April, 2018
    10 2018 Batch ‘A’ Orientation Course (Stream I and II)

    Graduates are to visit the Nysc portal via www.nysc.org.ng for online registration and bio-metric data capture.

    Read Also: NYSC Requirements for ongoing Registration/Mobilization

  • Sokoto FRSC introduces night patrols, other measures for safety to curb accidents – Hamzat

    Sokoto FRSC introduces night patrols, other measures for safety to curb accidents – Hamzat

    The Sokoto Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Cops (FRSC), Muhammad Hamzat Sani says the command has rejuvenated its operations by introducing night patrols and other monitoring measures to ensure safety and accident control on roads in the state.

    Speaking to a group of journalists Tuesday at the command’s headquarters in Sokoto, Mr Hamzat said the essence was to widen the scope of its operational strategies of curbing the rate of vehicular crashes and accident cases on both major highways linking the state with other places.

    According to him” we are also making good use of  support  by the special marshalls, NYSC and schools road and safety clubs and other voluntary organs and individuals especially in communities within the routes”, he said.

    Sani explained that the sector had also initiated a proactive drive through ‘Post Crash’ activities by visiting accident victims at hospitals and homes with a view to take advantage and sensitise their families on road safety and traffic rules and regulations.

    He noted that the agency which clocks 30 years of establishment has demonstrated high level commitment in its drive towards ensuring road traffic and safety laws were followed.

    Read Also:  Sokoto defunct CPC members cry marginalisation in state affairs

    “ It has introduced many measures of keeping abreast with happenings on major roads, curbing accidents including the single card driving licence now used across the world due to its authenticity and importance.”

    “We have volunteers especially along Sokoto-Gusau; Sokoto-Tambuwal and Sokoto-Illela who normally relay information to us about accidents, grid lock and road block on those roads. We send them recharge cards on monthly basis just to tidy our operation in the interest of the public we serve” , the Sector Commander explained.

    In the same vein, the Sector Commander said with the existing outposts across states of the federation, the agency has the operational capacity to cover, monitor and manage routine traffic and accident frequencies without much challenges, adding that” We have our Zebra centres and road side clinics for emergencies in the event of accidents.”

    Accordingly, Sani said the recent introduction of Speed Limiting Device(SLD) which compliance he explained was fast encouraging has attributed to the less cases of accidents in the state and country.

    “Prior to the establishment of the agency, little or nothing was done to regulate and check traffic as well as curbing accidents. Little or nothing about public enlightenment and education on road traffic and safety against accident.

    “We can now give prompt and rapid response attention  to victims of accidents, advise to government on condition of our roads and education of motorists on the rules and regulation of safety as well as the unification of vehicle registration as a special intervention introduced by the agency”‘ he explained.

    “We have always partner relevant stakeholders as the state government through the ministry of health, religious and traditional leaders, NURTW, Motorcyclists and Tricyclists Associations, Tipper, Luxurious buses and Tanker drivers union for campaigns as well as reaching out to markets, motor parks and other public places in the metropolis and communities”, he stated.

    He said the agency was committed to updating its personnel on modern techniques of operations through routine training and retraining to broaden their capacity to meet up with global operational standards.

  • Ekiti Guber: APGA tasks INEC on sensitisation of corps members

    Ekiti Guber: APGA tasks INEC on sensitisation of corps members

    The Ekiti State Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr Rufus Alabi, has called on INEC to ensure National Youth Service  Corps ( NYSC ) members that would be deployed as ad hoc staff in the upcoming gubernatorial election in the state are properly sensitised.

    Alabi told our news reporter in an interview in Lagos that the corps members, if not well informed, could give in to inducement from political parties or politicians.

    He said that if proper sensitisation is done, INEC can rest assured that several things that can result in disagreements or inconclusive elections would have been taken care of.

    “For INEC to conduct a conclusive election, it must not support any political party; and must also sensitise the youth corps members very well for them to know that their being focused can bring sanity to the election

    “We expect also that INEC, in that election, will be free and fair; we don’t want it to be on any political party’s side; we want it to be an unbiased umpire in all its activities,’’ Alabi said.

    The party chairman said his party was hopeful of winning the election, if conducted in a free and fair manner.

    Read Also: Umeh: My election is victory for APGA, Anambra

    He said that the people were already tired of the two prominent parties and needed a true change in government and party, as the PDP and APC had tried their best, which was not good enough for the people.

    Alabi said:“We are trying our best as an opposition party to see that we capture Ekiti State, and we believe we can do that.

    “We are also aware that to win elections is a question of numbers, so we are not relenting on doing our homework which is to make the people believe in us and sensitise them to know that it is only a true government that can render dividend to the people’’.

    The chairman urged the people to come out en masse to join APGA as the only alternative party in the state.

    He urged voters to ensure that they collect their voter cards, which according to him, is their power to choose their choice leader.

    Alabi advised Ekiti residents not to sit back at home on the day of election, but to exercise their voting rights and put the right candidate in office.

    Our news reports that 18 political parties have been cleared by INEC to contest the June 21 Ekiti Guber poll.

    NAN  

  • Jega advocates reformation in election volunteering ahead of 2019

    Jega advocates reformation in election volunteering ahead of 2019

       Prof. Attahiru Jega, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) says electoral volunteering require reformation to maximise its benefit ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Jega said this at a public lecture organised by the University of Lagos Muslim Community in honour of the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Rahamon Bello, on Thursday in Lagos.

    The Reporter reports that the theme of the lecture is: “Prospects and Challenges of involving Volunteers in Nigeria’s Electoral Process”.

    According to him, such reform will reposition the continuous role of members of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) and academics in the election processes.

    He noted that this would open avenues for additional groups of professionals like engineers, doctors, journalists and others to join in volunteering.

    “In doing this slowly and steadily, it will set up measures to move in the direction of recruitment of volunteers, using a database of all those who have done election duty before.

    “Even when they have moved out of the NYSC or universities as students.

    “INEC, as an electoral body, needs to pay more attention to the identification and selection of credible individuals and Chief Security Officers as volunteers and partners for bringing about electoral integrity,’’ Jega said.

    According to him, the case for an increased role of volunteers in the Nigerian electoral process cannot be over-emphasized.

    He said volunteering was desirable, and if appropriately deployed, could add values to the integrity of elections.

    The don observed that since 2015, there has been enthusiasm and passion for volunteerism in the electoral process for both individuals and civil society organisations.

    “In 2011, the Transition Monitoring Group, a network of the CSO and professional groups working on elections, has mobilised and deployed thousands of volunteers for election observation and gathering data for parallel results tabulation.

    “However, it is worrisome that some corrupt politicians are beginning to find creative ways to compromise youth corps members and some students involved in election duties.’’

    Read Also: We must shun ‘do or die’ politics, warns Jega

    He added that these politicians were also increasingly penetrating and compromising seemingly credible CSOs.

    “Similarly, as the use of academic staff as collation and returning officers has become predictable, corrupt politicians are increasingly snooping around university campuses and INEC offices, especially over governorship elections.

    “They are also inducing lecturers with money, in the hope of compromising their role in result collation and tabulation.

    “So far, there is no evidence that they have succeeded, but the tendency is increasing and it is of great concern,’’ he said.

    From the experiences garnered in the 2011 and 2015 general, governorship, bye and rerun elections, Jega said that the current role of volunteers, as necessary and desirable as it was, “leaves much to be desired’’.

    He added that many challenges have arisen and needed to be appropriately addressed, in order to confer greater credibility and integrity to subsequent elections.

    “One key reform measures introduced by INEC beginning with the 2011 general elections and improved upon subsequently, was the removal of civil servants and permanent INEC staff from core election day duties.

    “These were replaced volunteers drawn from the NYSC as presiding officers and assistant presiding officers, students of federal tertiary institutions and university academic staff.

    “But these core members have been threatened, intimidated assaulted, maimed and even killed in the course of their voluntary election duties.

    “These emerging challenges need to be carefully studied and urgently addressed with appropriate measures deployed in order to protect the gains recorded.

    In his remark, the chairman of the Unilag Muslim Community, Prof. Lai Olurode said one of the areas of concern for INEC under Jega was how to deploy Nigeria’s immense and inexhaustible social capital in service of its electoral regime.

    He noted that previous attempts by INEC to track campaign and election expenses had been challenging for reasons of a paucity of information and logistic issues.

    According to him, it is the responsibility of the Muslim community in an academic environment to make the utmost of every social outing to interrogate pertinent public issues that could extend the frontiers of citizenship.

    Responding, the honouree and former VC, Prof. Bello expressed delight at the gesture of the Muslim Community, saying that he was proud being a member of the institution’s Muslim community.

    “As Muslims, we have the obligation of doing all we have to do, according to the Islamic tenets and the will of Allah.

    “We must be vanguards and good ambassadors of Islam at all times,” Bello, whose tenure ad the 11th VC of the university ended on Nov. 11, 2017, said.

    Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, described the occasion as apt, given the current state of the country.

    NAN