Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, said: “Corps members are on reserve. They are part of the national defence policy of this country. Where there is serious war, our corps members are educated, they are knowledgeable and they can be trained. You see the drill and so on.
“NYSC is concerned about the security of corps members and that is why they have been advised not to move around at night. NYSC has become more important than ever in the face of the rising calls for secession.
“Corps members have played a huge role in educating children in Internally Displaced Persons’ camps. The security challenge confronting the country is not enough reason to scrap the scheme. About 75 per cent of corps members serve in rural areas.
“The scheme has been able to foster national unity and cohesion, while many corps members have found love in the various orientation camps and married.
“There are a lot of inter-marriages. For most of our females, the history of their marriages can be traced to their service year because they meet their fiancees during their service year. I have had cause to attend such weddings and the NYSC supports such weddings.”