NYSC seeks inclusion in public office holders’ screening

In the face of recent outcry about public office holders forging the certificate of service of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the embarrassment that follows, the scheme has demanded for inclusion among the agencies vetting government appointees.

Director General, Brig. Gen Shuaibu Ibrahim said the scheme has recommended to the appropriate quarters that it be contacted for necessary checks regarding the service status of prospective appointees in both public and private sectors.

Speaking on Thursday at the media parley with editors/bureau chiefs and reporters covering the scheme in Abuja, Ibrahim said only those who served the country through the scheme should be allowed to benefit from the privileges provided by the scheme.

He said since NYSC inception, 4,644,804 Nigerians have participated in the scheme aside those who were exempted, while 1,132,409 corps members have been sensitised on its skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development and over 700,000 have undergone its various forms of skill training.

On the president’s NYSC honours award, the DG said since 1974, a total of 1,264 ex-corps members have been conferred with the award, adding that during the last edition, 168 awardees of the 2015, 2016, and 2017 service years were honoured in April this year.

He said the scheme has fostered national unity and integration through the policy of deploying corps members to states other than their state of origin and away from their geo-political zones which help in giving participants in the scheme broader understanding of the country.

Emphasizing on the policy direction of his administration, Ibrahim said the scheme under his watch has made several strides towards enhancing the welfare of corps members.

He also used the occasion to appeal to Nigerians with information that could lead to the return of Mr. Value Eromosele Akhigbe who has been missing, saying the scheme is committed to ensuring that he returns unhurt to the family.

Also speaking, the FCT chairman, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, Dr Tayo Haastrup, lamented the several cases of missing and dead corps members during service, saying all stakeholders must work together to ensure that these stopped.

He urged the scheme to prioritise to insurance of the corps members during service while states that cannot guarantee the safety of the corps members posted to them should be blacklisted.

Director, press and public relation, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, commended the scheme’s relationship with the media saying the NYSC over the years has become a household name in Nigeria with visible impacts in the socio-economic development of the country.

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