Tension, mixed feelings as 622 fresh corps members arrive Bauchi

Tension, mixed feelings as 622 fresh corps members arrive Bauchi
JULY 19, 2011

By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi

IN the wake of the brutal murder of 10 corps members in Bauchi State, many parents, especially in the Southern part of Nigeria, had vowed not to let their children serve in the state if they are posted there by the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC. As far as these parents were concerned, Bauchi was no longer a safe place to live, especially if you are a stranger.


This was a sentiment shared by several other people in the country, including many state government officials in the South. So, it was not surprising when there arose strident calls that the NYSC should not post corps members to Bauchi State.

But the state government had moved to douse the anger and tension generated by that ugly incident by assuring concerned parents that it was committed to protecting the lives of corps members under its care.

As if the NYSC has indeed taken the government’s words for it, 633 young graduates were posted to Bauchi State to participate in the 2011/2012 Batch ‘B’ service year. The NYSC state Coordinator, Mr Ibrahim Tzihe, confirmed that 620 corps members were registered for the exercise.

The corps members recently swore an oath of allegiance at the NYSC Wailo Orientation Camp in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of the state where government once again assured them of adequate security in the state throughout their service.

The State Governor, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sagir Aminu Saleh, said: “The State Government is using this occasion to acknowledge the sacrifice made by corps members during the recently concluded general elections, to the extent that some of them paid the supreme price.

We want to assure corps members that the perpetrators of the hideous crime shall all be brought to justice”.

The Governor who noted that activities of the NYSC scheme have positively affected the socio-economic development of the country, stressed that the scheme has served as a unifying factor for religious, ethnic and cultural differences.

But in spite of these words of comfort, most of the corp members present wore worried faces.

When Vanguard Metro spoke to some of the visibly troubled corps members, they strongly appealed to the Bauchi State Government to provide adequate security measures to safeguard their lives during the service year.

They expressed mixed feelings about their posting to Bauchi State, with most unable to hide their fear of the tragic fate that befell some of their colleagues during the April post-election violence.

The corps members said that even though it was impossible to change what had happened in the past, they were still sceptical about the ability of government to protect them from attack, particularly in the local government areas, where, it is alleged, most of the violence took place.

Modesta Ugo, a Batch B corps member from Kogi State said she was initially not happy when she was posted to Bauchi State for her service year, but had to accept her posting as the will of God for her life.

She said: “It took me time to come in terms with fact that I was being posted to a state where some of my colleagues lost their lives. Even though we do not pray for evil, I pray I complete my service year without problems”.

The corps member called on all the security agents in the state to provide maximum security for corp members so that they will not fall victim to blood-thirsty miscreants.

Another corps member, Bode Oloruwajun from Ondo State, said he initially intended to apply for a change of posting to another state, but had to change his mind following persuasions from his parents to take his posting to Bauchi in good faith.

“I changed my mind because my parents persuaded me to serve in Bauchi. They told me that it is only God that can guarantee adequate security and I should be prayerful,” he said.

But Josephine Michael said she intends to apply for redeployment back to Abuja, because she did not feel secured serving in the state.

According to her: “I just feel insecure here, so I must work my redeployment to where I feel safe. My parents are in support of this”.

Kidnappers of NYSC members demand N100m ransom

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5712769-147/story.csp


Kidnappers of NYSC members demand N100m ransom
NAN
June 10, 2011


The kidnappers of five members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Rivers State have demanded a ransom of N100 million from the victims’ families, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

NAN learnt that the corps members, a female and four males, were kidnapped on Wednesday at Odomanya Community in Ikwerre local government area of the state.

They were on their way to inspect a school library project they constructed as their Community Development Service (CDS).

Mr Ben Esan, the public relations officer of the NYSC, told NAN on Thursday in Port Harcourt that the abductors had already contacted the parents of the victims asking for the said amount.

He said that the kidnappers equally spoke with the NYSC liaison officer in Ikwerre and made a similar demand, adding that the names of the abducted corps members were yet to be made public, but that they were members of 2011 batch ‘A’ and ‘B’.

It will be recalled that a similar incident occurred in Omuma local government area, also in the state, during the INEC voter registration that took place in January.

Mr Esan, who described the act as evil, said that the NYSC investigation team had been sent to the area to ascertain the circumstance surrounding the incident.

He, however, called on the state government, security agencies, and members of the community to quickly intervene in order to free the victims and arrest the perpetrators.

Rescue mission

Meanwhile, a combined team of security agencies made up of the police and the army on Thursday started searching for the abducted corps members.

The Rivers State commissioner of police, Mr Suleiman Abba, told NAN in Port Harcourt that the police, the State Security Service (SSS), and the army had started searching for the missing corps members.

“We (the security team) worked all through last night and we will continue the search until we rescue them. All hands are on deck and all efforts are on to rescue the corps members and arrest the culprits,” he said.

Mr Abba urged the people to give the police useful information that would lead to the rescue of the corps members and arrest of the criminals.

“All our personnel are out on the field searching for the corps members and nothing must happen to them,” he added.

My NYSC Experience

http://allafrica.com/stories/201105200094.html

My NYSC Experience

Sa'ad Abubakar Zongre
20 May 2011

I often look back to my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year that lasted from May 2001 to May 2002 as one of the most exciting, challenging, demanding and productive periods of my life so far. Fresh from the largely theoretical confines of the university (ABU, Zaria) and fully loaded with a lot of life-changing or revolutionary ideas commonly inherent in a graduate of an academic discipline in the arts or social sciences, found the service year quite eventful and action-packed from the orientation of 3 weeks, to place of primary assignment/host community and up to the passing-out formalities. It was a great and priceless experience that I cherish till date.

From this, some may easily conclude that I was so lucky to have been posted to a place where I found people that I knew or shared the same communal, religious or ethnic background with and thus, made life wholly cosy for me. In fact, the reverse is the case. I was posted to Akwa Ibom state in the oil-rich but restless Niger-Delta (the first time I entered the southern part of this country) and at the end of the orientation at Nsi-Atai town, I was subsequently posted to one of the most remotest parts of the state (Obio-Edienne Community Secondary School in Obio-Edienne village, Ikono LGA) where I did my primary assignment as a teacher. As a matter of fact, I happened to be the first "Hausa/Fulani" or Muslim to have lived in the village. The news of the strange presence of a certain "Abubakar" (the only name among my 3 names that the natives found it easier to pronounce) spread like wild fire within the village and even to neighbouring villages and I understandably, became an object of both curiosity and suspicion to my students, some of the permanent teachers and the generality of the villagers. Whenever I am observing the noon or mid-afternoon prayers in the school premises, it is common to see students (who were yet to go home after school hours or waiting for evening lessons) to mount an informal "guard of honour" behind me while watching all the stages of the prayer with maximum concentration, excitement and deep-seated curiosity. At the end of the prayer, I made it a point of duty to have a mini-interactive session with those itching to ask me one or two questions on the prayer, Muslims and Islam in general as well as Northern Nigeria.


In so doing, I was able to enlighten a lot of them (at times, even the permanent teachers used to meet me in private to ask similar questions) on the true meaning of Islam, the nature of Muslims and the multi-religious and tribal composition of northern Nigeria that were hitherto unknown or misunderstood by them. And by the time I took over as the chief coach of the school's football team (I played for my secondary school, university, NYSC orientation camp platoon and the Ikot-Ekpene regional NYSC football teams at different times) and introduced several effective training schedules that helped the team to defeat rival football teams, in addition to my active participation in the highly successful bi-weekly environmental sanitation exercise that was initiated by a colleague (Chinedu Okafor) as part of our Community Development (CD) project , I was eventually and fully "adopted" as a worthy "son of the soil", which paved the way for my full integration into the community as an agent of positive change.

One of the core values of the NYSC scheme is to strengthen a youth corps member's capacity for a critical and sound value judgment on all issues or factors germane to the discharge of his/her primary assignment and interaction with members of his/her host community. As a change agent, his/her service year program is not limited to excellent discharge of primary assignment only but to active involvement in additional change-oriented activities at communal and institutional levels as enshrined in the concept of CD projects.


Therefore, the mandatory orientation program was essentially designed to prepare the prospective youth corps member for the challenges posed to him/her by the next 11 months of the service year through instilling in him/her, the culture of discipline, endurance, tolerance, courage, hard work, creativity, productivity and patriotism under a regimental setting.

Although post-election violence is mostly spontaneous in nature, the recent killings, physical assaults and looting or destruction of properties of youth corps members in about 3 or so states in northern Nigeria (which is totally condemnable and inexcusable) as part of the violent reactions that trailed the release of results of the April 16th, 2011 presidential election, were sad developments that exposed the existence of a wide gap between youth corps members (not limited to the affected states only) and members of their respective host communities. It is noticeable nowadays, how some youth corps members tend to look down on the members of their host communities as inferior to their own native communities.


Also, in contrast to the principle of Community Development (CD) project of the NYSC, some youth corps members adopt a life of exclusion during their respective service years.

Their understanding of the service year is in 2 words; place of primary assignment and "corpers' lodge" or residence.

As a one-time youth corps member my heart bleeds whenever any harm is visited on a youth corps member. My bleeding heart goes out to the parents and entire family members of these new set of martyrs for the Nigerian state. The 5 million naira compensation package been proposed by the Federal Government (FG) for the family of each of the slain youth corps members during the post presidential election violence is really a welcome development. At least, this shows that the country appreciates and honours the supreme sacrifice that each of them had made for the good of the Nigerian state.


* Zongre wrote from Yerima Bappa Sanda Road, Jalingo

Those who are calling for scrapping of NYSC are ignorant of the scheme - Prof Adebayo

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/features/22305-those-who-are-calling-for-scrapping-of-nysc-are-ignorant-of-the-scheme-prof-adebayo-adedeji
Those who are calling for scrapping of NYSC are ignorant of the scheme - Prof Adebayo Adedeji

Written by Taiwo Olanrewaju
Monday, 23 May 2011


Eighty-one year old Professsor Adebayo Adedeji designed the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme in 1973 in order to promote national unity and cohesion. He told Taiwo Olanrewaju why the scheme should be retained against the backdrop of Nigerians and interest groups calling for the review of the scheme or outright scrapping.

BEFORE the post-election crises of April 2011, there had been various calls for review or total scrapping of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), but the political violence that greeted the announcement of the presidential election result in the northern part of the country which claimed the lives of 10 corps members, however, increased the call.

This incident, attracted more agitations for the scrapping of the scheme despite the efforts of the government to sustain it. The president inaugurated a 22-man panel to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the post-election violence in the North.

Headed by a retired Grand Khadi of Niger State, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, the panel was inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday, 11 May, 2011 at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja. The panel has six weeks to submit its report.
Going down memory lane, Professor Adedeji recollected that “the British deliberately separated us and there was very little opportunity for the country to become a nation for development. Lack of understanding and committment on the part of Nigerians contributed to the civil war of 1967 to 1970.The civil war was very expensive and very costly in terms of lives lost and resources wasted”, Professor Adedeji noted.

He said the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, did for Nigeria, what South Africa did after the defeat of apartheid, by declaring that there were no victors and no vanquished after the civil war. The need, according to him, was to develop common purpose and common values, with all the prejudices buried. The main slogan, the Ijebu-ode indigene noted was to Go On With One Nigeria (GOWON).

As the Minister for Economic Development and Reconstruction from 1971 to 1975, Professor Adedeji presented a frame work and created an institution to develop Nigeria.Thus, for a whole weekend, Professor Adedeji designed the NYSC scheme.

According to him,”the development of the country depended and still depends very much on the young generation. Nigeria developed as separate entities. Many Yoruba did not know where the North was. The tribes developed alongside, not as friends but as competitors while the people saw one another as someone to be avoided or someone not reliable.”

Professor Adedeji, who is also the Asiwaju of Ijebu-land, said the need to mobilise the most educated Nigerians in their teens to promote the development and unity of Nigeria prompted the scheme and after discussion and consultations among the leaders of the different tribes and the Supreme Military Council (SMC), the NYSC was established in June/July 1973.

The Corps members were students who just graduated from the universities and there were only five Universities then. The University of Ibadan, Ibadan, University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University; Ile-Ife; University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Under the scheme, the graduates were to serve the country compulsorily for one year. Aside from the fact that the scheme promoted understanding and mutual respect, it was a platform for national unity, explained the Asiwaju, who added that the scheme’s guidelines were that no corps member would serve in his region or state,where his native language is the lingua franca. That, he said, was to make the corps members understand the country and one another’s culture, which would in turn develop common values.

At the outset of the NYSC scheme, most students did not like the scheme,in spite of the fact that government paid them the same allowances and made them serve as equals. Medical students, especially, wanted higher allowances which the government did not approve. The aim was for each corps member to experience a new culture, imbibe the culture and thus, gain a wider perspective thereby building a solid foundation to achieve a united Nigeria.

While condemning those people calling for the abolishing of or turning the NYSC scheme into a regional programme, the scheme’s founding chairman, agreed that the scheme needed to be improved upon and redefined.He noted that he had had contacts with many corpers and none had regretted serving the nation for a year because working outside one’s environment for a year promoted cordiality which brought friendship with the host community. “We are the same irrespective of our differences. We are all Nigerians,” he added.

He, however, noted that lately, there had been incidents of regret. “To kill, shoot or murder a corps member is an unforgivable offence. The corps members have helped and contributed to the development of the state where they served”, Professor Adedeji said emphatically.

He advocated for the provision of adequate security for corps members. The type of security provided for politicians, he explained that corps members were used to assist in the conduct of census and elections because they are non-partisan. They are fresh from the university and have not imbibed the evil of the society.

He said this was the new Nigeria that General Gowon was trying to create. And that it would be disastrous if the NYSC scheme, currently the longest serving institution, was scrapped. “We should not throw the baby out with the bath water inspite of the killings. All Nigerians must have a stake and show a sense of commitment. We should do all in our power to ensure that the scheme grows from strength to strength,” he added.

The octogenerian, who believes that it is the responsibility of all state governments to secure the NYSC scheme by giving the corps members the necessary protection while he considers the reaction to stop, scrap or turn the NYSC into a local or regional institution as negative. Even, he added, that the number of mad or murderous people perpetrating the heinous crime of killing corpers should be small and should be within the power of the law enforcement agencies to nip in the bud.

He also noted that lack of human security had become a factor in Nigeria, saying that, the government should beef up security for all Nigerians the same way maximum security was given to ministers, governors and other politicians.Professor Adedeji added that if the NYSC scheme was made regional, the politicians would influence “the corps members and the nation would be moving from the sublime to the ridiculous” if we make the scheme local and people could influence it.

“If you destroy the institution or undermine it in anyway, it would be tragic. Rather, we should strengthen it by providing adequate security for the corpers,” he reiterated.

Corps member dies in Benue auto-crash

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/06/corps-member-dies-in-benue-auto-crash/

Corps member dies in Benue auto-crash
BY BEN DURU
JUNE 6, 2011S


MAKURDI – A National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, member serving in Benue State, Miss Sadi Suzzy Omamezi who hailed from Delta State, has been killed in an auto-crash on the Makurdi-Aliade road.

Omamezi died on her way back to Gwer Local Government Area of the state, where she was serving to participate in the head-count scheduled for the weekend.

She was said to have boarded a Volkswagen golf taxi cab from Makurdi to Aliade but the vehicle had a head-on collision with a trailer at Igbor. The trailer was said to be avoiding some pot holes when it ran over the cab, killing all the occupants.

The Benue State NYSC Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chidi Nnorom, said she was a graduate of English and Literary Studies with registration number BN/108/230.

Parents cannot dictate to NYSC over posting – Olaniyan, NYSC Lagos state Coordinator

The widespread condemnation and criticisms that greeted the killing of 10 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) by irate youths protesting the outcome of the April 11 presidential election in Bauchi state is a litmus test for the fragile unity of Nigeria. Caught in the web of these reactions, positive and negative agitation is the 38 years old scheme. While some call for its scrapping others say it should adopt geo-political postings arrangement to forestall such aggressions. Another orientation programme is fast approaching, Oyeniran Apata had a chat with Ladipo Olaniyan, NYSC Lagos state Coordinator on a number of issues. Excerpts:



Batch ‘B’ serving corps members are expected to pass out very soon. There are insinuations by corps members of possible extension. How true is this news?
There is no truth in that. Their passing out can never be postponed. What is the reason or reasons that could warrant postponement? People just concoct stories and spread them around. Some people just sit down and come up with stories that are unfounded. In fact, I have received calls from corps members making enquiries about their passing out date and other information. Until we get a confirmation of the day and then pass it down to the corps members.

What is your assessment of the out-going service year in Lagos considering the unfortunate incidences in some parts of the country?
We thank God. Lagos did not experience the type of crisis that happened in Bauchi. Glory be to God. Our corps members in Lagos were able to give a good account of themselves in their involvement in the just concluded elections. Talking about their effectiveness in their places of primary assignments, some of them really performed well in community development. They have performed well generally. Just before you came in, one of the corps members who is a graphic artist informed me of an exhibition he planned to stage. This is a success story. We also have a corps member who embarked on a Community Development project of building a primary school somewhere in Ikorodu. He has asked for a date for commissioning. These and many more are some of the stories I have been receiving. It gladdens my heart that our corps members are doing well in Lagos.

It was observed at the commencement of orientation programme for batch ‘B’ that some female corps members came to the camp pregnant; some of them at advanced stage. How many births have you recorded in the out going service period?
Honestly, I cannot tell you the number. They were many. This is the second time in one week this same question came up. Whenever they come and we find out that they are pregnant, normally we give them time to go and deliver if the pregnancy is at advanced stage. Usually what we observed is that after some time we see them at the secretariat cuddling a baby. It is then it will dawn on us that they have given birth. None of them has ever invited me to come and eat rice.

Safety of Pregnant corps members is an issue you have shown much concern about. Where does the NYSC stand on this issue?
I am not a proponent of NYSC reverting to the old order as it concerns corps members and pregnancy. I cannot do anything against the official policy of NYSC. We got to the stage we are now having gone through a lot of issues and developments. You are a witness to the hues and cries of the way NYSC handled the matter. NYSC received a lot of criticisms alleging that NYSC was forcing women to do pregnancy tests. A lot of developments came up from this issue. Eventually, the higher authorities said we should allow them to come if they want to be part of orientation with an undertaken that should anything happen they are on their own.
Quite unfortunately, we still experience the negative side of having pregnant and nursing mothers as corps members on camp. That is the area I am emphasising that they know fully that their pregnancy could threatened by coming for the orientation programme. For the nursing mothers, it will not be convenient to keep innocent babies on camp.

The NYSC orientation camp at Iyana Ipaja has been adjudged by corps members and officials as inadequate. Overtime the situation often leads to posting of Lagos members for orientation in other states. What is the situation now?
Frankly speaking, the camp we are using presently has become inadequate in terms of spaces, accommodation, and convenience to adequately cater for the large number of corps members sent to Lagos every year. The camp is also not large enough for NYSC gadgets. We are looking forward to government to assist by upgrading what is on ground at Igando. It was later realised that Igando may not even come to pass because it is no longer conducive for an orientation camp. The area has been overtaken by development. However, a new location has been identified for NYSC in Lagos between Ikorodu and Epe local government council areas. I was a member of the team that went to scout for a befitting place. We arrived at the particular locality and a proposal has been sent to the governor to approve the release of the area for NYSC.

The relocation will obviously gladden the heart of neighbours who have been clamouring for a relocation of the NYSC from Iyana-Ipaja. ..
I am not aware of the clamour. But if they do clamour, it is to our advantage. Even we in NYSC are saying it loud that the place is inadequate. The earlier the relocation is effected the better.

NYSC is an arm of the Federal Government whose operations and mandate generated a lot of criticisms following the death of some corps members in the North. Some suggested that members should not be posted to here and there. It was even in the media that Bauchi has been singled out for non-posting. What is the update?
Quite frankly, I know that at the annual management conference of NYSC, it was made known that corps members would not be posted to any crisis spots precisely Bauchi State this time around. But this does not mean that corps member will not be posted to the state at all. For instance, if we have a prospective corps member whose husband is working in Bauchi State, NYSC will definitely post corps members who by marriage have their spouses in Bauchi. However, the number that will ordinarily be posted to the state will be minimal.

With this development and clamour by some segments of the country against cross political zone posting, does this not give parents option of selection?
It is not for any parent to dictate to NYSC or make selective posting.

What happens in a scenario where an apprehensive parent stands his grounds?
Leave that to NYSC. NYSC knows what to do. We are human beings and have feelings too.

What will NYSC do?
I am not in a position to tell you that. But I have told you that no corps member will be posted to any crises flashpoints or areas that are not safe.

And if a parent perseveres?
Parents cannot dictate to NYSC and say this is where I want my child to observe the national service. But as an organisation, the NYSC will device a means of coming out with postings that will not put any parent or corps members under any undue anxiety about their safety.

How would you assess the scheme generally in view of divergent suggestions for scrapping, review and sustainability?
People forget that what happened was not caused by NYSC or the involvement of the youth corps members. Where lay the fault of NYSC? I am surprised at the clamour for scrapping of NYSC. And to me, the NYSC scheme is about social engineering of this country through the youth corps members. Therefore the realisation of its objectives cannot be time-bound. Those calling for the scrapping of the NYSC can be classified into four categories; those that are ignorant of its objectives, those that passed through the scheme but the scheme did not pass through them. We call this category “Otondo coppers”, those that committed one offence or the other while serving and were sanctioned and those that are evading national service and believe that by scrapping the scheme, they would have had their way.
The affirmation by some Kaduna corps members in a television interview after the unfortunate killing in Bauchi that they would not be deterred to accomplish the election duty they started coupled with some other short messages sent to me by Lagos coppers that the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) be cautioned against replacing them with non-corps members as ad-hoc staff in the governorship election was a rare demonstration of patriotism and confirms the young men are a new breed generation of Nigerians. This is a plus to the NYSC scheme.

Did Lagos record any casualty?
None to my knowledge! Even if some did not come for one reason or the other, the number will be insignificant. We paid their allowances. From available record, we are able to know that they came out in large numbers. When such a thing happens, it is expected that about 50 to 70 pr cent will withdraw from the exercise. That was not the case. The same thing cannot be said of a place like Bauchi because some state governors evacuated their indigenes from troubled areas in the North.

In the heat of the crisis some state governors were alleged to have threatened not to return their rescued indigenes to their base in the North. How do you react?
They cannot say that. That is not for state governors to decide. The idea of bringing them from the area is good. They cannot arrogate an assignment that does not fall within the purview of their offices to themselves. The NYSC is not forcing anybody to go back right now. We have sent bulk messages to them that anyone who does not want to go back should simply apply for redeployment. The normal process for any corps member withdrawn from a crisis zone is to register first and wait for briefs on the next line of action. Decision of the annual management conference is that corps members who want to leave Bauchi should apply and NYSC will look for another state and post accordingly. The proviso is that they cannot dictate or be selective.