AN OPEN LETTER TO BRIG. GENERAL SHUAIBU IBRAHIM: NYSC DIRECTOR GENERAL

Permit me to begin by wishing you a happy new month and equally congratulating you on your well-deserved and merit based appointment as the new National Youths Service Corps Director General, who took over from Brigadier General Kazaure Suleiman. Under your watch and able leadership there has been quit enviable and remarkable achievement. Take for instance, the NYSC radio station that will take effect in no distance time, the bill at the floor of the House of Representatives which seek for automatic employment for Corp members immediately after service and the recent increment of corps members monthly allowance from the sum of N19,800 to N33,000.

More so, you have being as consistent as the northern star in ensuring that the well being of all Corps members is your utmost priority. For instance, your advise to Corps members never to engage in frivolous journey, your clarion call to all state coordinators to ensure that quality meal is given to Corps members in the camp and your stern caution to Corps members never to consider suicide as an option.These are but a few amongst your countless achievements and fatherly advise .

Notwithstanding, the rationale behind writing this open letter to you is no other than to draw you attention to what many especially the youths believed will be an injustice of unimaginable proportion to the great youths of this country (Nigeria). The point here, is that, your reputation and integrity is at stake here and many are closely watching to see what kind of leadership you intend to present as the pilot of the NYSC ship. Many are about to write you off or pass a vote of no-confidence on your administration but are keenly and anxiously observing how you would or intend to handle the issue of the payment of the arrears of Corps members.

Sir, the argument put forward by you some days back as to why corps members would not be paid their arrears such as "they are not civil servants" and later that "you are not in the position to pay arrears" or they are on a "national service" and you "swore an oath not to protest" is quiet regrettable, disturbing and unfortunate. This is especially so, when one considers the apparent fact that it was coming from NYSC DG who is suppose to protect the interest of corps members, fight for them, and act as a father to them. It is true that you are not in the position to pay arrears but it is not true that you are not in the position to ensure and demand that arrears be paid to all corps members that have toil and are due for the payment.

You will agree with me that outside of the military and police no other institutions of the state has done more to an extent of sacrificing their lives for the development, unity, well being and progress of the Nation like the NYSC has done and still doing.

When we printed out our call up letters we were so glad that we would be serving our fathersland. This we have been doing with utmost zeal,commitment and sincerity. We have sworn an oath to serve our fathers land under the sun or in the rain with selflessness and dedication. To this end, therefore, many of us left our comfort zone, loved one's, left the warmth,care of family members and travel far and wide to a distant and strange land all in the name of serving our fathersland. And as a result of change of environment, water and climate, some of us fell ill and some even lost their lives on accident and through brief illness in the course of serving the Nation.


Many instances abound. Take for instance, the death of the 23 year old male Corps member Mr. Precious Owolabi serving with channels television who was killed in the shiite-police fracas and other case of death and kidnappings of Corp members amongst other numerous examples. There is no denying the fact that Corps members nationwide, in the course of serving their fathersland have become target of political thuggery, ritualist and rapist. The truth is that, even the civil servants you are trying hard to equate us with have not done half of what we have done or exposed to danger when it comes to the issue of nation building.

Whenever elections would be conducted it is the same Corps members that would be used. The last election which was scheduled to hold on the 16th of February 2019 and later was rescheduled to 23rd February 2019 alot of we Corps members risked it all. Slept in open fields not minding the cold weather and even endured the biting of mosquitoes and other dangerous insects. As it stands now, some of us that were posted to schools, parastatals and other government institutions and private sectors are working more than the so called civil servants that you tend to equate us with.

It is truism that the minimum wage bill was signed into law on the 17th of April 2019 by his excellency President Muhammadu Buhari and it is evidently clear that the payment only commenced on the part of the NYSC on January of 2020.

That said, aristotelian logic, is needless here to imply that since payment did not commence immediately when the minimum wage bill was signed into law arrears ought to be paid to serving corps members who were serving when the bill was signed into law.

Even the Minister of Labour and employment was aware of this fact, thus Mr. Chris Ngige gave the directives for the payment of arrears to all institutions of the state and the Minister of finance Mrs. Ahmed Zainab Shamshuna hurriedly complied. Never was there a time any remark was made that NYSC should be exempted from the said payment of arrears. Interesting enough, this is not the first time corps members would be paid arrears.

A graphic example was when there was an increment just as it is now in 2011 of Corps members monthly allowance from N9,777 to N19800 under the then President Ebele Goodluck Jonathan epoch arrears were paid. And nobody including Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga raised the case of weather they (Corps members) were civil servants or not. There was never an attempt like is now seen to muddle up clear water. There was never any hullabaloo or razzmatazz about the payment of Corps members arrears then.



With all sense of respect and responsibility sir, it might be you are at a loss about how to go about the payment of the arrears. Or you are in need of a blueprint to embark on the payment.We advise that you seek private audience with former Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga and Brig. General Kazaure Suleiman . They know how best to handle such issue. They had once traverse this same route and they did a nice job. And will sure provide you with an outstanding counsel. They did it before and we are pretty sure, without any iota of doubt, that they would be willing and ready to share with you from their wealth of experience and knowledge.

To this effect, however, below are the expected arrears in details for your kind consideration :
a) Corp members in 2019 Batch A will earn as much as 118,800 in areas covering the period between April and December of 2019.
b) Their colleagues in 2019 Batch B stream 1 will earn an estimated amount of 105,200 within the period of June and December while those in Batch B stream 2 will look forward to receiving the sum of 66,000.
c) Also, members in 2018 Batch B streams 1 and 2, and Batch C streams 1 and 2 are expected to earn 26,400, 39,600 and 79,200, 92,400 respectively.

Sir, it will interest you to know that quit a significant proportion of us during our service year engaged in SAED (Skills and Entrepreneurship Development) and we are in dire need of the money to effect what we had learnt. The funds, if released, will go a long way and will be adequately and judiciously utilize in ensuring that we do not constitute nuisance or liability to the Nation or go on looking for a non-existent government jobs.

We are learned, law-abiding and most valuable and precious resources any nation could wished for. Far precious and valuable than the oil of the South-South and groundnut and cotton of the North put together. The bedrock and strength of any given Nation. As such, we would not take the law into our hands. Moreover, we will be willing and ready to explore all legal avenue to ensure that justice is served and the right thing is done as regards the payment of our arrears.

Be that as it may, we implore you to look into the issue with an open mind and make good use of your office to ensure that all corps members that fall under the above-mentioned category are paid their hard-earned and rightful entitlements.

Sir, kindly put in the fore of your mind that this is a golden opportunity at your door step to either choose to make your name indelible in the scroll of history or act otherwise.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Comrade Matthew Zakka
zakkarishiwa@gmail.com
01-03-2020

ok

You see, comrade Zakka, from the way I see things, Mr DG is powerless in this issue, I strongly believe that if it is within his powers, he would pay the arrears. Like you rightly mentioned in your writeup, the NYSC does not pay it's members directly, it is the Accountant General of the Federation, through the CBN. The only time NYSC pays it's members is the one they pay in camp. Subsequent payments are done directly from Abuja. Let me give you an instance why I said this arrears thing is beyond the DG. Recall that sometime in October, the Minister of Youth Sports and National Development (YSND), through his twitter account told the whole world that Youth Corps members will benefit from the new national minimum wage. But he quickly added that the DG will give further info on that after he (DG) gets full briefing from the Minister of Finance. Truth is it is only the Minister of Finance that can release the funds for the arrears to be paid and I believe from what the Minister Of Finance told the DG, the arrears were not captured in the 2020 budget. That was what prompted the NYSC to issue the disclaimer on the Payment of arrears by the NYSC. I strongly feel the way forward is litigation, because the body language of the FG is not encouraging. It is unfortunate they are treating the corps members this way. Maybe because their is no union to fight for them. That is why we need strong institutions in Nigeria, and not strong men. Let me tell you the truth. Prior to PMB becoming President (I'm talking as far back as 2003), I used to think if he becomes President, Nigeria will become one of the best nations of the world; why, because i felt he was the "strongest man" then in Nigeria, and that would automatically lead to a better Nation. Imagine if the system was working well, nobody needs to tell the Minister of Finance or the budget office to include issues such as arrears in the budget. Pensioners do not have to wait till the second week of the month to get paid. Let me "burst your brain". Are you aware that as at today (2/03/2020), Ex Nitel and Mtel pensioners have not been paid pensions of January and February? Are you also aware that as at today too, NYSC members have not been paid their allowances? Yet people are not been punished for these things. Impunity keeps going on everywhere in Nigeria. Nigeria's problem is not having a strong leader. Our generation should go further by pushing for functional systems in Nigeria, rather than depending on one individual to salvage our nation. With very strong institutions and an average leader, Nigeria can be great again. OBJ saw the vision and introduced SERVICOM during his tenure, but it died after Yaradua came on board. So i think for now, the only language Govt will listen to on this matter is going to court. I wish the likes of Femi Falana can take up issues like this to court on behalf of thousands of these youths. I remember listening to his lecture on the 3rd anniversary of Gov. Akeredolu, and he said State Government's are entitled to some percentage of the Abacha lots being recovered all over the world today, and that he was ready to offer free legal services to the NGF to sue the Federal Govt and get their own share of the loot. Let him as well offer free legal services for these corps members to get their arrears. The FG has the money, it is there, let them pay it.