Loopholes in the NYSC scheme

It doesn’t sound surprising to hear the alleged scandal of the Honorable minister of finance, concerning the forgery of her NYSC exemption letter. Although a criminal act that attracts serious sanctions in the eyes of the law if at the end of investigation she is found guilty. I do not apportion all the blame on […]

It doesn’t sound surprising to hear the alleged scandal of the Honorable minister of finance, concerning the forgery of her NYSC exemption letter. Although a criminal act that attracts serious sanctions in the eyes of the law if at the end of investigation she is found guilty. I do not apportion all the blame on her but rather, I choose to get to the root of the matter from another stand point, which is looking at the lapses of the NYSC scheme that have room for such acts of gross misconduct. 

General Yakubu Gowon introduced the NYSC scheme in the year 1973 after the Nigerian Civil war by decree 24 and the major aim was to reconcile, rebuild and promote national unity. This to a large extent the NYSC scheme has achieved. But there are loopholes in the NYSC scheme that needs to be investigated. 

The age limit for those eligible for the NYSC scheme is age thirty, but if you visit any NYSC orientation camp now one will be shocked to see corps members who are in no way physically and otherwise below age thirty. It is no longer news that there are also fake NYSC orientation camps in the country as well as unqualified individual’s and part time student’s  who gain access to call-up letters  and find themselves in various orientation camp’s across the country. 

The alleged forgery of the Honorable  minister of finance she not just be seen as a political weapon against her and the APC lead administration, but should serve as an eye opener to the loopholes that exist in the NYSC scheme as There are many fake exemption letter as well as fake NYSC certificates circulating in the country. 

The NYSC is also guilty if truly she actually applied for an exemption letter as they have attested to, they have bridge the law. If the Honorable minister graduated at age twenty-two on what grounds did she apply for an exemption letter because pregnant women and those with chronic illness are exempted from the orientation camp but not from posting to areas of primary assignment and married woman on presentation of valid marriage documents are redeployed back to their base. If it was on health grounds what was the nature of the illness. These are matters that need to be investigated on as we wait for the silence of the Honorable to be broken.

Ekpe Madonna Uchechi, Bayero University, Kano.