How do we see DG's comment as regards NYSC

THE Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier-General Maharazu Tsiga, has said that the NYSC scheme will not be scrapped but will remain to unite the people of the country together.

Speaking at the 2011 Annual Management Conference entitled “Reviving and Strengthening Discipline in the NYSC Scheme,” held in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Wednesday, the NYSC boss said some people who were calling for the scrapping of the scheme were the enemies of the country.

According to him, “Soldiers go soldiers come, NYSC remains,” adding that those who were calling for the scrapping of the scheme should rather call for the prosecution of those behind the killing of the corps members during the last general election.

He noted that just as all Nigerians were prepared to celebrate the successful conduct of the elections, they received the sad news of the outbreak of violence and unwarranted attacks on some corps members.

“We commiserate with the families, Federal Government and the entire people of Nigeria on the demise of these patriotic and gallant youths who have done the nation proud,” he said.

Brigadier- General Tsiga, who expressed his gratitude to President Goodluck Jonathan for his show of concern and directive that befitting burial be given to the deceased corps members by their respective state governors said that the NYSC had paid the sum of N5 million naira each as directed by the president to the bereaved families and offer of automatic employment to direct siblings of the deceased corps members.

“We have paid the money to the families of those corps members that lost their lives as directed by Mr President and we have also called on their parents to forward the names of those that will be given automatic employment by the president,” he said.

He mentioned that the importance of the call for discipline and dedication to duty cannot be overemphasised as the scheme’s mandate includes raising disciplined youths for tomorrow’s leadership, saying there was the need for the managers of the scheme at all levels to brace up to meet up with these challenges “and rededicate ourselves to the service of our fatherland.”

He stressed that in the last one year, there had been an increase in the NYSC’s collaborative efforts with governmental and non-governmental organisations, saying the most recent being with INEC which culminated in the level of success recorded at the just concluded 2011 general election.

He added that the conference provides a platform for key managers to reflect and review activities and achievements in the last one year as he hopes that exhaustive deliberations, syndicate discussions and communiqué would pave way for the repositioning of the workforce of the scheme in the years ahead.

Meanwhile, over 200 youth corps members that were evacuated by the Lagos State government from the northern part of the country due to election violence have refused to return to their places of primary assignment.

The state Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Tola Kasali said this at the annual ministerial news conference to mark four years in office of the state governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN), on Wednesday.

According to him, the corps members have been reporting at the Lagos State secretariat of the NYSC, vowing not to return to their places of primary assignment in the North.

The corps members were flown in from Kano, Bauchi and Jigawa to Lagos, on board Arik Airlines about a month ago, following the killings in the troubled areas.