NYSC Charges Corps Employers On Addressing Shortcomings

The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim has asked corps employers to tackle headlong the shortcomings that are affecting the conduct of corps members serving in their various organisations.

General Ibrahim made this known in a keynote address delivered at the occasion of the 2021 corps employers' workshop which was held on Wednesday at the NYSC orientation camp, Ede, Osun State.

Represented at the occasion by Abdulrasaq Salawu, Director Community Service and Special Projects in the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, the NYSC boss who listed the shortcomings stated that it was impeding the effective implementation of the cardinal programmes and other activities of the NYSC.

Outlining shortcomings such as increased rejection, under utilisation and aiding abscondment of corps members, exposure of corps members to COVID-19, inhuman treatment of corps members in workplaces, and inappropriate usage of the recently introduced NYSC ICT apps, General Ibrahim urged corps employers to continue to carry corps members along in their respective workplaces, adding that priority should be given to their safety.

While describing the NYSC management/corps employers' forum as one that has since inception enabled both parties to continually enhance capacity for effective engagement of corps members, Ibrahim stated that it has enabled the positioning of young people on national service as change agents and key contributors to national development.

Addressing the workshop with a focus on; "Optimising the NYSC/Corps Employers' Partnership for National Development in the context of the New Normal", the NYSC DG explained that the programme had been carefully chosen to emphasise the collective roles towards sustaining the impact of the scheme in the face of the challenges thrown up by COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that despite the initial challenges caused by the pandemic, NYSC continued to be relevant through the harnessing of the knowledge, skills and talents of the young men and women on national service.

In her address, the Director, NYSC Southwest Area Office, Funmilayo Akin-Moses reminded the corps employers of the need to improve in their care of the corps members in their employment, adding that employers of labour in Nigeria benefited immensely from job mobility of the corp members.

Earlier, Osun state coordinator of the NYSC, Winifred Shokpeka explained that the workshop which was organised at the instance of the Director-General was to rob minds with the employers so as to form a common ground to justify the essence of the compulsory national service.

In a goodwill message, Yemi Lawal, the Commissioner for Youth and Sport Osun State who doubles as the chairman of the NYSC board in the state commended the contribution of NYSC to the development of Osun state, while reassuring the scheme of the state government's continued support in the area of infrastructure facelift.