The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Alteration Bill, 2020 – a bill seeking to repeal the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) act is set for second reading in the House of Representatives.
The explanatory memorandum of the bill sponsored by the lawmaker representing Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency of Rivers State Mr. Awaji-Inombek Abiante gives reasons for the scrapping of NYSC following calls for its discontinuation, according to a report by Vanguard.
The bill cited “incessant killing of innocent corps members in some parts of [Nigeria] and the “insecurity across the country” as part of the reasons the NYSC should be scrapped.
The youth service, was established on May 22, 1973, during the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon under Decree No. 24 of 1973, to reconcile and integrate Nigerians after the civil war.
The statement read in part:
“This bill seeks to repeal Section 315(5)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended) on the following grounds:
“Incessant killing of innocent corps members in some parts of the country due to banditry, religious extremism and ethnic violence; incessant kidnapping of innocent corps members across the country;
“Public and private agencies/departments are no longer recruiting able and qualified Nigerian youths, thus relying heavily on the availability of corps members who are not being well remunerated and get discarded with impunity at the end of their service year without any hope of being gainfully employed;
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“Due to insecurity across the country, the National Youth Service Corps management now gives considerations to posting corps members to their geopolitical zone, thus defeating one of the objectives of setting up the service corps, i.e. developing common ties among the Nigerian youths and promote national unity and integration.”
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
