Open Letter to DG NYSC

Let me begin by commending the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for providing special arrangement to married, prospective corps members to serve their country at locations close to their families. This is indeed a big achievement considering that it was difficult for many to do their national service by abandoning their service to their families. […]

Let me begin by commending the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for providing special arrangement to married, prospective corps members to serve their country at locations close to their families. This is indeed a big achievement considering that it was difficult for many to do their national service by abandoning their service to their families.
As always, however, there is room for improvement. It is on this note that I wish to draw the attention of the Director General (DG) of NYSC to an unnecessary requirement for married women to change their names for the sake of national service. This is problematic on two fronts: one, it is culturally wrong for Muslim women to change their names because of marriage. Making this a requirement is compelling Muslim women corps members to go against the sacred teaching of their belief because there are very stern warnings regarding this from Allah in the Glorious Quran and his Prophet:
“Assert their relationship to their fathers; this is more equitable with Allah; but if you do not know their fathers, then they are your brethren in faith and your friends; and there is no blame on you concerning that in which you made a mistake, but (concerning) that which your hearts do purposely (blame may rest on you), and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” [al-Ahzaab 33:5]
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said in the narration of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas and Abu Bakrah concerning prohibition of change of name: “Whoever claims after having become Muslim to belong to someone who is not his father, knowing that he is not his father, paradise will be forbidden to him”.[Bukhari 4072 and Muslim 63]
The Prophet (pbuh) also said: “whoever calls himself by other than his father’s name (or attributes himself to someone other than his father), will be cursed by Allah, the angels and all the people.”(Reported by Ibn Maajah, Book of punishments, 2707).
 Two, from a secular perspective, it is discriminatory to ask women to change their names. Women have the right to bear any names they so desire.
Sir, I know that concessions made to married women are a special favour done in order to show sensitivity to the cultures of Nigerians. However, I feel that without the change of name, the other requirements will suffice. These are marriage certificate, letter from employer of husband, and evidence of location of dwelling of the husband, such as water and electricity bill. Including a change of name advertised in a national daily is not necessary.
Aside from the cultural and human rights issues mentioned here, change of name has other implications. With respect to opening accounts with banks for the purpose of payment of NYSC allowances, there is a problem. With a new name, one cannot have another Bank Verification Number (BVN) if one has registered already. It becomes impossible to access money from the bank designated by NYSC for payment of allowances without a BVN. The new NYSC account cannot be aligned under a single BVN with existing bank accounts due to the difference in the account names. Furthermore, at the end of the national service, one is issued a certificate with a name that is different from the one carried by all previous documents. Inadvertently, this creates problem in the future when one seeks employment.
It is therefore my hope that the DG would use his good office to rectify this issue.

Intissar Bashir Kurfi, serving Corp Member