Nigeria: Bill threatening existence of NYSC Progresses to Second Reading

Nigeria: Bill threatening existence of NYSC Progresses to Second Reading

Nigeria: Bill threatening existence of NYSC Progresses to 2nd Reading

Citing incessant killing of youths undergoing their National Youth Service programme, the NYSC Act, is billed for the second reading by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Alteration Bill, 2020, which is seeking to invalidate it.

The NYSC Act, is billed for the second reading by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Alteration Bill, 2020, which is seeking to invalidate it.

Mr Awaji-Inombek Abiante, the sponsor of the bill noted the various reasons why the NYSC should be scrapped in a memorandum of the proposal.

It 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;

“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.”

NYSC was established on May 22, 1973, under Decree No. 24 of 1973 for reconciliation and reintegration of Nigerians after the civil war between July 6, 1967 and January 15, 1970 during which millions of people died.