The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NYSC

  • Let NYSC drive agricultural sector

    SIR: I suggest that the federal government equip the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to feed the Nigerian masses. I know that some of my colleagues may not like the idea, but it is very necessary to stop hunger in Nigeria and feed the continent.

    The Federal Government should build farm settlements in each of the 774 Local Government Areas. Here, youths will be posted to take charge. I also suggest that the three weeks orientation period be extended to one month. Within this period, the youths will be taught about the unity of Nigeria and how to operate agricultural machines like tractors, harrowers and other important equipments. At the expiration of this, youths will be posted to the L.G.As for their primary assignments.

    May I suggest further that the 36 states chose friendly crops, fishery, poultry or any other agricultural activity depending on their climate and other vital factors. During harvest, the products will be transported to the three senatorial zones where the Federal Government must have built processing and storage facilities.

    After processing, the Youth Corps members will be responsible for the marketing of the products. For example, if Enugu State, where am serving produce garri as the final product from cassava, the Corps members can make arrangements with ministries and local government chairmen to sell the products to their staff, even on credit basis. The chairmen will help in the recovery of the money through deductions from the staff salaries at the end of the month.

    The product (garri) can be packaged in bags of 25kg or 50kg also, if the cassava production is combined with maize, the NYSC in Enugu for example, can sell the maize to any other state that chose, for example, poultry and feed production.

    With this idea, I believe Nigeria will rule the world with agricultural products. Whenever we have the production in excess, they could become exported goods which we can then export to other countries that may need them.

    I see the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) as the catalyst to agricultural revolution in Nigeria. The prices of food stuff in our markets are still very high, but if this idea is implemented, food stuff prices will crash down by 50%.

    The reason for this suggestion is that in most places Corps where members are sent for their Primary Assignments, they already have enough workforce for the jobs. For example, the secondary school where I teach as a corps member has 100 teachers according to the principal of the school and up to 40 Corps members serving in that same school. I suggest that the SURE-P fund be used to kick off this project.

    • Obioha Kelechi

    Enugu State

     

  • NYSC may withdraw corps members from Ondo riverine areas

    A Majority of National Youth Service Corps members serving in the coastal area of Ondo State may be redeployed to other parts of the state anytime soon.

    The Coordinator of NYSC in the state, Mr. Kuoye Isiaka Olanrewaju, disclosed this in a telephone interview with The Nation.

    He added that NYSC in the state had started compiling names of all corps members serving in the riverine area of the state.

    The decision for the mass redeployment of the corps members may not be unconnected with the mysterious death of a corps member serving in the area, Miss Irorohboje Juliet, in a boat mishap some days ago.

    Isiaka also said the correct name of the late corps member is Juliet Irorohboje and not Juliet Okorocha as widely reported in the media.

    The compilation of the names of corps members, according to sources, is to reduce their percentage in the area and ensure their effective monitoring

    Isiaka explained that the corps member would not have died if the life jacket given to her had not been forcefully taken from her by a co-passenger.

    The sad incident occurred when the boat operator was trying to refill the boat without switching off the engine which suddenly caught fire in the process.

    Both the deceased and her fiancé who came to visit her from their town were inside the boat when the incident occurred.

    The late Irorohboje, according to an eye witness, reportedly jumped into the river to avoid being burnt by the resultant fire but got drowned and died in the process.

    Her corpse was later recovered the following day by marine policemen at Igbokoda.

    The death of Irorohboje is now a source of concern to other corps members in the area, as they have declared three days, mourning for their colleague from the day of her burial.

    The deceased, who hailed from Delta State, served at Ilepete in Ilaje local government.

    Speaking to The Nation, a corps member who pleaded anonymity said the deceased had lodged several complaints at the NYSC office in Akure about her phobia for river and consequently asked for redeployment all to no avail.

    But the NYSC coordinator denied this claim.

    Isiaka, who described the death of the corps member as unfortunate, said the NYSC had got in touch with her family and finalised arrangements for her burial.

    According to him, the deceased will be buried at the bank of the river where she died on the order of her father.

    Isiaka disclosed that the NYSC and Ondo State Petroleum Agency and Development Commission (OSPADEC) have secured a piece of land at the bank of the river through the traditional rulers in the area where the deceased will be buried.

    Speaking on this method of burial, Isiaka said, “That is the instruction of the father. I think they are doing that in conformity with their tradition and belief that whoever dies in the river shall be buried at the bank of the river. It is not our wish but the wish of the family. We have secured a piece of land there through the efforts of the monarchs in the area.”

     

  • Awards for NYSC members in Rivers

    Awards for NYSC members in Rivers

    The advice by camp directors every service year to corps members is to look out for areas of need in places of primary assignment and ensure they contribute to community development.

    But these four indigenous Rivers State members of the Corps who served in various states of the federation did not only hearken to that advice; they won top prizes and returned home to a hero’s welcome.

    The quartet, all medical graduates, made Rivers State proud in their various contributions in the 2012/2013 service year.

    They included Dr. Ogolo Donald who served in Ebonyi State,   Dr. Alamina  Belema (Lagos State),  Dr. Ateke Joshua (Kogi State), and Dr Nyeche Emmanuel Ovundah (Ekiti State).

    Each of them bagged the overall best of their various states where they served; they were also honoured with chieftaincy awards.

    Speaking on the service year experience and their outstanding performances, Dr. Nyeche said it all boils down to individual understanding of service to humanity, noting that NYSC service year is not a merriment year but  a time to make sacrifices for community development.

    They noted that as medical graduates they were concerned about what they saw on the ground in their various places of primary assignment, particularly as it concerned community healthcare. On primary healthcare, they emphasised the absence of medical doctors, lack of facilities and drugs, inadequate monitoring and supervision by the state governments which they said has left general hospital overcrowded.

    Dr. Nyeche said: “Government needs to wake up and urgently address the challenges facing our primary healthcare system. With what we saw in the various states we served, state governments are doing little or nothing in the area of primary healthcare. I am not talking about structure as in hospital buildings but the adequate facilities that could take care of people’s medical needs.”

    He continued: “My friend Dr Ateke served in a place where they were using headlamp for surgical operation, while I served in a place that nothing exists and patients were being referred to other hospitals. It was sorrowful seeing people with pains being asked to go. I have also observed lack of adequate supervision. Of course, inadequacies in the primary healthcare centres have resulted to uncontrollable traffic in our general hospitals.”

    On how they emerged overall best in their various states, Nyeche said. “We were about four doctors who are indigenes of Rivers State and we were honoured at the same time, the other persons include Dr. Ogolo Donald who served in  Ebonyi State and  Dr. Alamina Belema, Lagos State. They also got overall best in their various service states. But one important thing about service is not the award but your contribution to the people where you served.

    “At the general hospital where I served at Iye-Ekiti, Ilejemeje  Local Government Area in  Ekiti State.among several others, there was no theatre for surgical operation and other necessary medical facilities and they were referring patients who needed surgery to another hospital.

    “That was the situation I met when I came in, but I went into action begging money from the community elite. But before the end of my one-year service we did four successful operations because I bought some of the medical equipment to facilitate operations and the community was happy.  I also bought respiratory oxygen to save a child who was dying for lack of oxygen at the hospital.

    “I did mass campaign on hypertension and diabetes to villages including school where I campaigned for the awareness of HIV/AIDS. I believe these things made the state to award me and my colleagues who also did same in their various states of service to have been noticed as overall best.”

    Adding his voice, Dr Ateke said: “I bought a big generator for the hospital when I noticed they were using headlamp to carry out surgical operation.  I also noticed lack of manpower at the hospital, then I went to the local community chiefs and elders to complain and they were able to assist and the place was restored to normalcy through my various efforts. I also went round the local government for sensitisation on health issues.”

  • Awards for NYSC members in Rivers

    Awards for NYSC members in Rivers

    The advice by camp directors every service year to corps members is to look out for areas of need in places of primary assignment and ensure they contribute to community development.

    But these four indigenous Rivers State members of the Corps who served in various states of the federation did not only hearken to that advice; they won top prizes and returned home to a hero’s welcome.

    The quartet, all medical graduates, made Rivers State proud in their various contributions in the 2012/2013 service year.

    They included Dr. Ogolo Donald who served in Ebonyi State,   Dr. Alamina  Belema (Lagos State),  Dr. Ateke Joshua (Kogi State), and Dr Nyeche Emmanuel Ovundah (Ekiti State).

    Each of them bagged the overall best of their various states where they served; they were also honoured with chieftaincy awards.

    Speaking on the service year experience and their outstanding performances, Dr. Nyeche said it all boils down to individual understanding of service to humanity, noting that NYSC service year is not a merriment year but  a time to make sacrifices for community development.

    They noted that as medical graduates they were concerned about what they saw on the ground in their various places of primary assignment, particularly as it concerned community healthcare. On primary healthcare, they emphasised the absence of medical doctors, lack of facilities and drugs, inadequate monitoring and supervision by the state governments which they said has left general hospital overcrowded.

    Dr. Nyeche said: “Government needs to wake up and urgently address the challenges facing our primary healthcare system. With what we saw in the various states we served, state governments are doing little or nothing in the area of primary healthcare. I am not talking about structure as in hospital buildings but the adequate facilities that could take care of people’s medical needs.”

    He continued: “My friend Dr Ateke served in a place where they were using headlamp for surgical operation, while I served in a place that nothing exists and patients were being referred to other hospitals. It was sorrowful seeing people with pains being asked to go. I have also observed lack of adequate supervision. Of course, inadequacies in the primary healthcare centres have resulted to uncontrollable traffic in our general hospitals.”

    On how they emerged overall best in their various states, Nyeche said. “We were about four doctors who are indigenes of Rivers State and we were honoured at the same time, the other persons include Dr. Ogolo Donald who served in  Ebonyi State and  Dr. Alamina Belema, Lagos State. They also got overall best in their various service states. But one important thing about service is not the award but your contribution to the people where you served.

    “At the general hospital where I served at Iye-Ekiti, Ilejemeje  Local Government Area in  Ekiti State.among several others, there was no theatre for surgical operation and other necessary medical facilities and they were referring patients who needed surgery to another hospital.

    “That was the situation I met when I came in, but I went into action begging money from the community elite. But before the end of my one-year service we did four successful operations because I bought some of the medical equipment to facilitate operations and the community was happy.  I also bought respiratory oxygen to save a child who was dying for lack of oxygen at the hospital.

    “I did mass campaign on hypertension and diabetes to villages including school where I campaigned for the awareness of HIV/AIDS. I believe these things made the state to award me and my colleagues who also did same in their various states of service to have been noticed as overall best.”

    Adding his voice, Dr Ateke said: “I bought a big generator for the hospital when I noticed they were using headlamp to carry out surgical operation.  I also noticed lack of manpower at the hospital, then I went to the local community chiefs and elders to complain and they were able to assist and the place was restored to normalcy through my various efforts. I also went round the local government for sensitisation on health issues.”

  • Corps members trained on safe delivery

    To reduce maternal deaths in Oyo State, a seminar has been organised for Corps members, who are medical doctors.

    The workshop, which was held at the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) House, Ibadan, was put together by Dr Adeyemi Oluwaseun, a Corps member and graduate of Medicine and Surgery from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.

    Corps members from various Local Government Areas in the state attended the seminar.

    Also at the event were officials of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) led by Mrs Oluwayemisi Otaru; the Schedule Officer, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Community Development Service (CDS) Group.

    The chairman on the occasion, Prof Adefolarin Malomo, a Neurosurgeon at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, who is the NMA chief in the state, urged the young doctors to always observe medical code of conduct whenever they practise.

    Malomo told participants to also look on maternal mortality and how they could help in their various places of assignment to save lives.

    The seminar, which was divided into five sessions, featured three guest speakers – Dr Emmanuel Olowokere, Dr Olalekan Ogunlowo and Dr Nkemdiran Jacob – who took turns to sensitise the young doctors on prevention of maternal death.

    Olowokere, who came from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UCH, spoke on Emergency Caesarian Session, Instrumental Emergency Delivery and Management of Ante-Partum and Post-Partum hemorrhages with a practical session. He demonstrated the use of anti-shock garment in other to reduce peri-partal bleeding.

    There was also a video show on how to perform an Emergency Caesarian Session and the use of vacuum extractors in performing Instrumental Vaginal Delivery.

    Ogunlowo, of the Ibadan Central Hospital, lectured the participants on the principles of safe abortion and management of complications after abortion.

    Saying the vote of thanks, Oluwaseun, a Corps member, enjoined his colleagues to practise what was learnt during the seminar to save lives and reduce mortality rate in Oyo State.

    He said: “As a development facilitator of MDGs, I have been particularly interested in the fifth goal of MDGs, which is improving maternal health. To achieve this, I decided to bring veteran medical practitioners to tutor young doctors so that we can equip ourselves with necessary skills and reach out to improve maternal health.”

     

  • How NYSC changed my view of the North

    How NYSC changed my view of the North

    “If Nigeria is to make rapid progress on all fronts internally, and if she’s to make her mark on the continent of Africa, and, indeed, in the comity of nations, her youths must be fully mobilised and be prepared to offer willingly and without asking for rewards in return, their best in the service of their nation at all times,” Gen. Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State, said during the inauguration of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on June 4, 1973.

    Prior to being mobilised for the National Youth Service, I used to think of horrific experiences I would go through during my service year. Fresh from the furnace, which higher institution campuses can be called, a graduate is made to live with yet another people from different cultural backgrounds with a meagre stipend and no accommodation.

    I got the impression that the scheme was a post-civil war panacea for reuniting the country. Well, our leaders caused the civil war but why are they disturbing my life by asking me to heal the wound they had caused? So I thought. When I was younger, I really hoped that events and government in Nigeria would abolish this mandatory service before it got to my turn.

    Today, however, I write this piece as a Corps member and a willing participant in a scheme I once wished should be abolished. And it is amazing that I discovered the beauty of the scheme just in my first few months of active service to my fatherland.

    When I was posted to Zamfara State, it took me time to get over the trauma. After I got my call-up letter, I sat on a fence for hours, ruing what had befallen me. With growing insecurity in the North, I had thought I was going for a journey of no return. But was it funny? My colleagues, who got posted to relatively peaceful parts of the country, mocked me, as though it was all planned.

    Some of them pitied me and said sweet words to douse my fear. The thought of redeployment came to mind. Friends asked me to feign incurable ailment just to get out of Zamfara State after the three-week orientation.

    Hitherto, I had been told the story of Zamfara and its strict Sharia Legal system during the administration of Governor Ahmad Yerima. We heard stories of amputation as punishment for even mild offences. Since I could not change the posting immediately, I left for the state with open mind. It was when I got to the state that I knew all the stories we heard in the South were actually exaggerated.

    In the orientation camp, dance and drama competitions held for Corps members brought together people of various tribes of the country to foster unity. I heard languages I never thought existed; names I could never pronounce. We discussed issues ranging from insecurity and corruption and it was surprising to see my fellow Corps members condemning evil. Our daily activities in the camp always started with a Muslim and Christian prayer and this shows that we are one people indivisible by religion or ethnicity.

    We were privileged to have top government officials, including the Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Muhammad Ahmad, and the NYSC State Co-ordinator, Mrs Ruth Bakka, to educate us on the state and its people. The Emir stated clearly that Sharia was to guide Muslims on their religious path and thus was not binding on non-Muslims. He said Christians are free to go about their normal business without fear of molestation whatsoever but should dress decently and respect the law of the land.

    In Southern part, we have different opinion of the North. We were told that places such as Zamfara State belong to Siberia given its low level of education and its culture, which is believed to be brutish and ordinary.

    We were told that Hausa girls don’t go to school. But I was stunned to see over 3,000 girls in a secondary school in Samaru struggling to get education. In camp, I met Muslim girls, who graduated with better grades than many of us from the South. They all wore Hijabs (veil), which were neatly tucked in.

    I also found that the average Hausa man is trustworthy and down-to-earth. When he tells you it is N10 gaskiya (truth), so it is. Tell a motorcyclist that you are stranded and he will be glad to help you to where you are going.

    At the place of my primary assignment (PPA), senior officials would make tea in a cold morning and share among the staff; even the gatemen would use cups from the Oga’s office. But Ogas in the south are to be feared from afar. One’s effort to learn Hausa language is instantly rewarded with slashed prices of commodities.

    When I was posted to my PPA in Kaura Namoda and I lost my way, I was directed to the lodge of Muslim Corps members, where I was fed and attended to regardless of my religious affiliation. This selfless service to has constantly been rendered by the Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF), Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria (MCAN), Catholic Corpers Association and the likes. These organisations are made up of Nigerians helping Nigerians regardless of tribe or tongue. This is one of the dividends of the NYSC scheme.

    I am now confident that the scheme is steadily achieving its objective, which is “to inculcate in Nigerian youths the spirit of selfless service to the community and to emphasise the spirit of oneness and brotherhood of all Nigerians, irrespective of cultural or social background.”

    Serving in Zamfara State has afforded me a lot of opportunities I would not have had if I remained in my Eastern zone. At least, I have experienced Zamfara for myself and can now separate fact from fiction. The state is peaceful and friendly. You are appreciated as a Corps member.

    The state even has good amusement park when my Imo State cannot boast of one. I have seen their religious practices and I can now compare with mine. I have seen their flaws and I now know how I can help. I have understood that you don’t judge people or any entity from afar; you must come closer, live amongst them and you will be amazed at how much you did not know.

    More importantly, I have seen that we are all the same people and can exist as one; you as a Christian and I as a Muslim, life will still go on. Our cultural and religious differences are simply variety, which we all know are spices of life. There is really no need for the hate anyone because of his tongue, background or faith.

     

    Nnaemeka is a Corps member, NYSC GUSAU

  • CDS sensitises pupils on first aid

    Members of the Red Cross Community Development Service (CDS) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have trained over 60 pupils of Agho Comprehensive Secondary School, Egboroyin in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State on how to use first aid boxes.

    Fisayo Ekundayo, head of the CDS group, said the workshop was necessary to sensitise the pupils on how to make use of first aid boxes in school and home.

    The State Co-ordinator of the NYSC, Mr Nkereke Ibangha, described first aid as a necessary tool which every home must have. According to him, the constant replenishment of the first aid box with necessary tools would promote safety.

    Ibangha said he would continue to promote activities of Red Cross in the state.

     

  • A Corps member’s lending hand

    Staff and pupils of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Secondary School, Abagana (NASSA) in Njikoka Local Government Area were moody as a Corps member, Augustine Okorodudu, bid them farewell. The school was Augustine’s place of primary assignment.

    Some of the pupils fought back tears as Augustine packed his personal effects to leave the school after the completion of his Youth Service.

    The pupils trooped to Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, where the passing-out ceremony was being held for Batch “B”2012 Corps members. Augustine was among the outgoing Corps members honoured by the Anambra State government for outstanding service to the state during their service year.

    The Igwe of Abagana, Obi Mbamalu Okeke (JP), with his council of chiefs, NASSA Principal Mr Clems Ofoedu, and men and women wings of Abagana Welfare Union led the crowd of people, who joined Augustine to receive the state award.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that Augustine did not only leave behind a good legacy and projects, he impacted his host community positively. He was the toast of the day when it was announced that he executed no fewer than 47 projects during his service year.

    Augustine, with state code number AN/12B/0575, hails from Ebu in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State. He is the first on the list of 12 outstanding Corps members of 3,200 Batch “B” 2012 set, who rendered meritorious service to the state. The 27-year-old studied Mass Communication at the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka.

    Governor Peter Obi lauded the “excellent performance” of Augustine, stood him out from the crowd, assuring him that the state would continue to appreciate his service.

    Urging the youths to learn from Augustine’s achievements, Obi said dedication and commitment of the Corps member to sacrifice his time and resources for the benefit of his community must be recognised.

    The governor, represented by his Deputy, Emeka Sibeudu, lamented the attitude of some Corps members, who he said, were not committed to the primary goal of the Service. Such youths, he said, always left their host community the way they met it.

    Co-ordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the state, Mrs Bassey Inyang Ekpe, praised the awardees, describing them as good ambassadors of the scheme. She singled out Augustine for rendering unparallel service, urging him not to relent in his future endeavour.

    Igwe Okeke and Ofoedu appealed to the Federal Government to grant Augustine an automatic job, saying his innovative skills would be a waste if he was not immediately engaged after the service year.

    Augustine left a lasting legacy in his host community by developing a vast cassava farmland to cater for indigent widows and organising Students Productive Life Initiative (SPLIN) in 11 schools across the council. He donated copies of the Bible, food items, brooms, waste baskets, toiletries to the prison inmates at Amawbia in Awka South Local Government Area.

    He renovated the NYSC signboard at the state secretariat in Amawbia, which was pulled down when the road was being rehabilitated. He participated in the rural rugged evangelism organised by the Nigeria Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF) Anambra chapter at Awba Ofemili Community, a disaster-prone zone where relief materials and free medicare for men and children were rendered free.

    Other projects he executed included immunisation against polio for children in Abagana, and skill empowerment training for women in cosmetics production in the three local government areas.

    His initiatives and projects attracted over 17 recommendations and commendations from prominent community members, corporate organisations, government agencies, the academia, churches, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and NYSC officials.

    CAMPUSLIFE learnt that the inauguration of each project attracted dignitaries in the state.

    Speaking on his motivation, Augustine said his drive stemmed from the purpose of the scheme, which is to imbibe the spirit of selfless service to the nation in the youths.

    He said: “Widows are weighed down by myriad challenges, which bring them sorrow, pain, suffering, confusion and put them in distress. Widowhood comes with trauma and I believe hunger is the main problem they grapple with. Farm for Widows project is part of my personal contributions to the realisation of the scheme’s objectives and the attainment of food sufficiency in the country.

    “I wish to convey my heartfelt gratitude to the transition chairman of Njikoka Local Government Area, Chief Dazza Udeozo, his deputy, Hon. George Okaro, and all staff of the council for their support and encouragement.”

    He also appreciated Mr Chris Okonkwo, principal partners, Save the Youth Empowerment Foundation (SAYEF) and his wife, for supporting his projects.

     

  • NYSC seeks employers’ collaboration

    The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Nnamdi Okore-Affia, has urged employers to provide conducive atmosphere for corps members to promote discipline and good work ethics among them.

    He made the call at a sensitisation workshop for corps employers in Dutse.

    The event, tagged: “Harnessing the gains of Youth Service scheme through cordial Corps member/Employer Relationship”, was organised to enable corps members to contribute to the development of the society.

    Okore-Affia, represented by Mrs Stella Abba, a Director with NYSC, said the exercise was aimed at promoting cordial working relationship between employers and corps members.

    He said it was also to help develop an effective performance monitoring mechanism of youths and their activities.

    He stressed the need for employers to instil discipline and sense of patriotism, good moral values and ethics in NYSC members.

    “Corps members spend greater period of their service year with you as their employers.

    “It is imperative to take personal interest, not only in their welfare but in issues that will shape their destiny through counselling and discipline,” he said.

    The director-general said employers were expected to provide decent accommodation, security, transport allowances and good working environment for Corps members to put in their best.

    The state’s NYSC Director, Mr Ishaya Dede,warned Corps members against indiscriminate travelling outside their places of primary assignments, adding that those found wanting would be penalised.

  • Re: Open letter to Director-General of NYSC

    SIR: The attention of the NYSC management has been drawn to the above publication, which appeared in Mallam Mohammed Haruna’s column in The Nation of May 8.

    The columnist alleged that the NYSC Secretariat, Kaduna State victimized a corps member, Abubakar Idris Usman KD/12C/2265, over a newspaper publication that was critical of the NYSC scheme. The article, which was the subject of Haruna’s open letter, was published in The Nation of November 22, 2012 and entitled “In Kaduna, corps members sleep in toilet”.

    We consider it appropriate to address the issues raised in Haruna’s column; putting the records straight for the benefit of the reading public.

    The corps member, Usman mobilized some other corps members, and took photograph of them in a toilet, which he gave the setting of a living room by taking in a double-bunk bed and personal effects of some corps lawyers who were at that time in Abuja for their “Call to Bar” ceremony.

    Usman also left camp to get the photograph published with an article. At the time the article was being published, the camp even had two unoccupied hostels, each with capacity of 300. He was, in fact, taken around to see the vacant hostels.

    The publication was in contravention of the NYSC Bye-Law (Section 3, sub-section R) which bars corps members from addressing the press, publishing or causing to be published news or other articles on policy issues without express permission from authorities of the scheme.

    Secondly, the fact that he went out of the camp without permission was in contravention of the provisions of the Bye-Law, and punishable by decampment (Section 3, (b). It was on the basis of these that disciplinary action was initiated against him.

    Now, to the issues raised by Haruna in his column; we wish to presents facts of disciplinary procedures against the corps member as follows:

    Usman’s appearance before the camp court was in line with the provisions of the NYSC Bye-Law. The appearance of erring corps members before the camp court, which is a form of disciplinary committee, is to give them opportunity to defend themselves. The corps member agreed that his publication was false and even tendered apology in writing to the camp administration and the corps members that he lured into the toilet to photograph.

    His father, Malam Danjuma Yaro, came to the camp in company of his neighbour Sheik Namadi and upon hearing of the facts of the case, openly rebuked him for his wrongdoing. The plea by the father saved him from being decamped as provided by Section 3, sub-section B of the NYSC Bye-Law.

    The issue of extension of service raised is, in fact, a lesser penalty, which only deals with parts of his offence (i.e., addressing the press without permission and rudeness to the camp court’s secretary whom he threatened for refusal to disclose to him the verdict of the committee).

    As for his relocation to Delta State, the management took that decision after noting his tendency to cause disaffection among other corps members. It should be also be noted that NYSC Kaduna State has paid him allowance due to him before his relocation contrary to the claim made in Haruna’s column.

    The issue of the corps member’s Ill-health (Hepatitis B positive) was never indicated in his registration forms even when there are provisions for any corps member to state whether he/she suffers from any ailment.

    Records of the entire case, including his written admission of wrongdoing, apology to the corps members that he lured to the toilet, snapped and wrongly used their photos, are available at the Press and Public Relations Unit of the NYSC Headquarters and NYSC Secretariat, Kaduna for verification.

    • Management,

    National Youth Service Corps, Abuja.