From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has threatened to sanction tertiary institutions and officials that compromise in mobilising unqualified persons for the compulsory one year national service programme.
Director-General of the scheme, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, gave the charge in his address at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Batch B pre-mobilisation workshop in Abuja, yesterday, saying there have been tremendous improvements in the mobilisation process for the programme.
“You will agree with me that the NYSC has recorded numerous achievements in its 48 years of existence. It is gratifying to note that such achievements are partly made possible by the support of critical stakeholders, especially through ideas emanating from forums of this nature. As a matter of fact, management is delighted at the significant gains arising from our recent engagements, including the noticeable improvements in data integrity, reduction in entry errors, and renewed dedication by student affairs and data entry officers of Corps Producing Institutions.
“Let me add, however, that few cases of wrong doings have also been identified, and we shall not shy away from applying sanctions on erring institutions and officials to serve as deterrent to others. While the NYSC management remains deeply committed to the success of the mobilisation process, we expect other stakeholders to also be above board in the discharge of their responsibilities.”
Ibrahim said the workshop theme, “Sustainable Mobilisation Process: The Role of Stakeholders” was chosen to increase synergy and continuous improvements in handling of the established processes.
On the continued existence of the scheme, he stressed: “You may recall that the issue of continued relevance of the NYSC was recently taken to the front burner of national discourse. While the scheme may not be totally immune from some challenges facing us as a nation, it is instructive to note that both the managers and participating youths have weathered through storm over the years as we keep alive the dream of our founding fathers.”