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Tag: NYSC

  • Polls: Reject inducement – NYSC DG, Jega tell corps members

    Polls: Reject inducement – NYSC DG, Jega tell corps members

    The Director-General, National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Brig-Gen. JB Olawunmi and the Independent National Election Commission Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega Tuesday admonished corps members billed to participate in the conduct of general election to shun all forms ofinducement.

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

    Reading from their message to the corpers, at the Lokoja Township Stadium in Lokoja, Kogi State, the NYSC state Coordinator, Mrs. Olabanji Agatha called on them to build on the success of the 2011 General Election and make the nation proud.

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

    Each participating corper will receive a cumulative total of N32, 000 for the March 28 and April 11 national assignment.

    She added: “As corps 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.

    “The last General Election held in 2011 was adjudged as the fairest and most credible in the history of our country.
    “Your past colleagues participated in that election was hailed by Nigerians, the international community and election observers as a major contributing factor to its successful conduct. It is against this backdrop that the nation is again calling on you, the corps members, for this very important electoral national assignment”.

    She commended them for availing themselves for national duties despite the unfortunate incidence of the past, saying they have proved that as youths, they had much at stake in the building of a virile nation.

    She said, “The unfortunate violence that followed the Presidential Election of 2011 has not deterred you from rendering your services to our dear nation. This indeed is a show of the zeal and unconquerable spirit of the Nigerian youth. Nigerians appreciate you, history will commemorate and celebrate you.

    “While praying for the success of the forthcoming General Elections, we assure you that your welfare and security have been taken into consideration.”

  • NYSC honours 29, sanctions 10

    NYSC honours 29, sanctions 10

    Corps members have been advised to desist from cutting corners during their service year.

    The Enugu State Assistant Director Corps Discipline and Reward of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Ella Williams gave the advice during the passing-out for Batch “A” Corps members in Enugu.

    He said 29 Corps members were honoured for their performances, which had impact on their host communities.

    Of the 29 awardees, four received Governor’s Award, four the Governing Board Chairman’s Award, while the others received Commendation Letters.

    Williams added that 10 Corps members were penalised for various offences, including absconding and truancy. He said one of the 10 youth got two months’extension in  service, while the rest were asked to repeat the year.

    He urged Corps members to follow the right channel of communication to get permission if they have good reasons to be absent from their place of primary assignment (PPA). He also urged them to put in their best.

    Patrick Ifedilichukwu emerged the best Corps member by erecting a sculpture and arts library at Idaw River Secondary School. Dr Nneoma Sibigam, another recipient of the governor’s award gave out hundreds of free eyeglasses to residents of his host communities. Both have been nominated for the Presidential Award.

    In a related development, the NYSC Inspector in Enugu East Local Government, Dr Nkechi Onyeke, advised the outgoing Corps members to invest their last two months’stipend on Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneur Development (SAED).

    She cautioned the youth against spending their allowances on material things, advising that they must consider their well-being after the service year.

    She said: “White-collar jobs may not come instantly and in such circumstance; it would be challenging for graduates who did not have entrepreneurial skills to survive. So, I urge you to save money for the rainy days.”

  • NYSC and leadership development

    NYSC and leadership development

    SIR: The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a scheme created to promote reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction in the country at a time when her leadership status was almost at the precipice. As the name implies, NYSC comprises graduates, mainly formidable youths from different tertiary institutions across the nation who can best be classified as future leaders and backbone on which the well-being, progress and development of Nigeria is based.

    In a country like Nigeria, which is in a belated hurry to develop in all spheres, the role of corpers towards her leadership development and aspiration for a better nation becomes paramount. First, corpers should accept the scheme as a national assignment that has the capacity of repositioning the country for garnering both national and international recognitions in which they stand to gain from in the long run. They have to imbibe the spirit of nationalism and eschew all acts of societal ills such as robbery, drug abuse, prostitution and rape. Secondly, with the privilege of serving their fatherland, corpers should, as a matter of patriotism and sincerity of purpose, be relevant in their places of primary assignment by inculcating core values of respect, integrity and punctuality to duties. In the same vein, the government should pay serious attention to the welfare of corpers especially those in interior and crisis-laden states by making social amenities available in those areas. Moreover, in a country where work experience is a major determinant in absorbing people for employment, the issue of posting outside the area of discipline should be reduced if possible to the barest minimum as some of these corpers derive no pleasure in teaching in secondary, and sometimes primary schools. This trend has turned large number of them to ghost corps members. Also, the issuance of awards to well-deserved corpers should be strictly on merit and thorough assessment, so as to motivate all interested serving corpers.

    On this note, let me emphasise that the recent awards given to 164 outstanding corps members by the President Goodluck Jonathan is highly commendable although the figure is quite small compared to the quantum of those who might have distinguished themselves but went unnoticed. Again, there should be an annual leadership conference for corpers in all the states of the federation to instill in them the pragmatic approach to good leadership. Most importantly too, the issue of influencing the postings of prospective corpers should be discouraged as they might subsequently in life see it as a norm that should be continued when they eventually occupy leadership positions.

     

    • Ifeanyichukwu Ekeka,

    ekekaifeanyi@yahoo.com

  • 134,000 corps members for general election – NYSC DG

    134,000 corps members for general election – NYSC DG

    Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier-General Johnson‎ Olawumi, Thursday disclosed that a total of 134,000 corps members has been selected and trained by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the March 28 and April 11 general elections.

    Brigadier-General Olawumi who assured parents and guardians of their children and wards safety said the scheme would not compromise its efforts to ensuring safety of its corps members before, during and after the 2015 general elections.

    Olawumi stated this in Benin at the opening ceremony of the NYSC management conference.The NYSC DG warned that the scheme would not tolerate any form of misconduct or bias on the part of the corps members during the polls.

    He noted that the theme for the conference – Fulfilling the Mandate of the Scheme in the Face of Current Challenges, was apt as issues, such as insecurity, rejection of corps members in places of primary assignment, funding and inadequate infrastructure, posed critical challenges to the scheme.

    He said, “The scheme is fully prepared for the national assignment, as all participating corps members‎ have been adequately trained to competently play their roles. We have equally put in place necessary security measures for their safety.

    “It is hoped that this conference will brainstorm on some of these challenges and come up with strategies that will enhance our performance in the next one year.”

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole who declared the conference open said March’s general election would be the toughest in the country since the last 16 years.

    Oshiomhole urged the corp members not to be compromised by desperate politicians who do not want the votes to count.

    He said, “This is the toughest election Nigeria will have in the last 16 years. We have a political class who if they have the opportunity they would bribe God. The corpers will require God help to resist these desperate politicians who don’t want the votes to count.

    “The corpers must find sufficient encouragement in the fact that the issue at stake is not the future of those seeking power but actually the future of those who are not seeking power particularly the younger ones. Everyday that is mismanaged is opportunity lost. The corpers must understand that what is at stake is not meager money. It is much more than that.”

  • Lagos donates camp to NYSC

    The Lagos State chapter of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has got piece  of land from the state government to build its permanent site.

    The NYSC Co-ordinator in Lagos, Mr Cyril Akhanemhe, spoke at a meeting of NYSC staff at the state said the site is in the Ikorodu, noting that Governor Babatunde Fashola promised to facilitate the speedy development of the site to ensure immediate operation.

    The governor was quoted to have assured the body that his remaining days in office would not slow the pace of development on the site.

    Ahanemhe, who was posted to Lagos last December, pledged to work closely with all necessary bodies to ensure the speedy completion of the camp. He urged for cooperation of all staff to achieve the aim.

  • 2014 President NYSC Honours award

    2014 President NYSC Honours award

    nysc

  • 20-year-old boy rapes pregnant Corps member in Ondo

    Men of the Ondo State Police Command have apprehended a 20-year-old suspected rapist, Tumi Ayileka, who allegedly raped a two-month old pregnant National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member at Imoru in Ose local government area of the state.

    Ayileka, who claimed to be an Okada rider in the community, was among the 27 suspected criminals paraded by the State Commissioner of Police, Isaac Eke, during his monthly press conference held in Akure, the state capital.

    Eke informed that the rape victim (name withheld) boarded a motorcycle from Ifon to Imoru where she was posted for her national service.

    The police boss revealed that the suspected rapist allegedly dragged her into the bush and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.

    Confessing to the crime, Ayileka admitted that he raped the youth corp member, but added that it was his first time of committing such crime. He also disclosed that he drove the victim home after the act had been done.

    According to him, “She approached me around 7.p.m at Ifon that I should take her to Imoru community where she serves and I obliged we agreed on a N500 fee. On our way, I don’t know the spirit that descended on me forcing me to drive her into the bush where I had carnal knowledge of her.

    “After the deed had been done, I became ashamed of myself. I didn’t know she was pregnant and I even took her home. Later on, she reported to the Police and I was arrested.”

    Eke however assured that the suspect would soon be charged to court as soon as the judiciary workers end their industrial strike.

  • Okada rider rapes pregnant NYSC member

    Men of the Ondo State Police Command have apprehended a 20-year old suspected rapist, Tumi Ayileka, who allegedly raped a two months old pregnant National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member at Imoru in Ose local government area of the state.

    Ayileka, who claimed to be an Okada rider in the community, was among the 27 suspected criminals paraded by the State Commissioner of Police, Isaac Eke during his monthly press conference held in Akure, the State Capital.

    ‎Eke said the rape victim (name withheld) boarded a motor cycle from Ifon to Imoru where she was posted to by the NYSC.
    ‎
    He narrated that the suspected rapist allegedly dragged the youth corps member into the bush and raped her.

    Confessing to the crime, Ayileka admitted that he raped the young youth corp member unknowingly.

    He said it was his first time of committing the crime , saying he drove the victim home after the incident.

    According to him, “she approached me around 7.p.m at Ifon that I should take her to Imoru community where she serves and I obliged after agreeing on N500 charges fee. On our away going, I don’t know the spirit that fell on me and I don’t know when I branched inside the bush and had carnal knowledge of her.

    “Immediately after that incident, the spirit went off and I was ashamed of myself. I don’t know she was pregnant before and I even took her home. Later on, she reported to the Police station and I was arrested. I don’t know the spirit that fell on me because I have never done that before”.

    The Police Commissioner assured that the suspect would soon be charged to court as soon as the judicial workers end their industrial strike.

    Eke, also recovered and paraded three suspected criminals who involved in the snatching of a N4million BMW car belong to the Permanent Secretary of Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Sola Orisanmoluwa at a gun point.

  • 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.

  • Preserving the NYSC scheme

    SIR: In view of ethnic and tribal diversity of the Nigerian federation, lack of unity has always been a major impediment to nation building. From independence till date, successive governments have devised various policies and programmes with the primary goal of surmounting the various complications posed by the country’s mixed population.

    One of such is the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. Brainchild of the General Yakubu Gowon’s (rtd.) military administration, it was conceived in 1973 as a way to address the major fallouts of the Nigerian civil war (1967-1970). Having fought a bitter civil war that further exposed the precarious nature of the county’s federation, the NYSC programme was put in place as a policy that could enhance the unity of the country. The core aspect of the programme involves the posting of fresh graduates to various parts of the country for a mandatory one-year national service programme.

    Among the major core values of the NYSC are dedication and loyalty to the service of one’s fatherland. In adherence to this, many corps members have remained true to this cause by giving out their best in their various places of primary assignment. There is, however, urgent need to tidy up certain loose ends in respect of the NYSC programme in order to preserve its values. A recent survey shows that corps members meet with various challenges in the process of carrying out their assignments. Prominent among these challenges are security, low allowance and rejection by some organisations. Also, the working environment in certain locations in the country is not actually conducive for members to give out their best. Equally, members are sometimes overburdened with so much work and still get very little remuneration.

    Inadequate accommodation is also a serious challenge for members across the country. This is particularly frustrating, especially for corps members posted to places where they are complete strangers. Closely related to this is the issue of transportation. In major cities in Nigeria, it is usually difficult and very expensive navigating through one’s way because of the huge cost of transportation. The result is that corps members serving in most of the cities often end up spending fortunes on transportation. Ironically, the meager monthly allowance is usually expended on transportation thereby compounding the frustrations of the corpers. At the end of the month, there is little or nothing left to feed and use on other essential expenses.

    Added to this is the fact that many employers don’t really treat members fairly as they are often used as beasts of burden that should do all the dirty works and yet without being duly compensated. This is particularly the case with members who serve with the private sector where they are expected to face the same task as given to permanent staff.

    Compared to insecurity, all the aforementioned challenges are however child-plays. If the security operatives, with all the human and material resources at their disposal, could not guarantee us of a safe election, definitely corps members who are posted to troubled spots in the country are, undoubtedly, endangered species.

    Besides our peculiar security plight, the poor state of roads across the country equally jeopardizes the safety of corps members. There have been countless instances of corps members losing their lives through tragic motor accidents.

    Despite these challenges, corps members have continued to heed and obey the clarion call of service to their fatherland by diligently carrying out their various tasks in whatever capacity they are given. Hence they have continued to exhibit the core values that anchor the NYSC scheme. Like all government’s policies and programmes, despite its various shortcomings, the NYSC scheme has over the years succeeded, in its own little way, in fostering unity in the country. There is, however, an urgent need to look into the various challenges bedeviling the scheme with a view to preserving its major values.

     

    •Susan Olije

    Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.