Federal Government Insists That NYSC Corp Members Must Serve In Troubled States

                                       

Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir has confirmed the Federal Government's position on the posting of youth corp members to troubled states of the Northern parts of the country. The minister said this at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday. Abdulkadir insisted that corps members would be posted to Borno, Yobe and other troubled states. Abdulkadir said any other form of concessional posting of corps members apart from the grounds of health and marriage would require constitutional amendment. Below are the words of the minister on this issue, I will not comment but will appreciate your comments on his words below. If we can make these kind of people our leaders, then we can never move forward as a country.
“Talking about the National Assembly’s resolution vis-a vis our position here. My position is that of the law.

“The fundamental thing is that the NYSC is a constitutional issue; the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is supreme.

“Of course, the NYSC initially was established through a military decree in 1973 because of its potential to the existence of Nigeria as a nation.

“And in pursuance of a deliberate policy to set up something that will always and continue to integrate Nigerians and bring about harmony amongst Nigerians, among other things, the framers of the 1979 Constitution deemed it fit to make the NYSC law part of the constitution.

”So if you are going to make any amendment to the NYSC or alter anything, you have to alter the constitution. That is the position.

“In that regard, posting of corps members to states, apart from their own, except in some special circumstances, is governed by the law and must be adhered to.”

The minister linked the service to civil war and casualties “Don’t forget that a number of people went to the civil war. A number of Nigerians went to the war front they were killed they left families.

“There are people who up till now who for no fault of theirs because by circumstances they were born during the period of the war they were not armed they got incapacitated. They have disabilities and they are living with those disabilities because of the war. This is a sacrifice to the nation.”

He further stressed that “How did they even get uniforms to wear? If they are really mobilised to go and serve where did they get the corpers’ uniform to come and assemble before the office of the NYSC to say they are protesting that they want to go or will not go.”

Now is this truly the minister of youth development in Nigeria?