NYSC Posting: Matters Arising

The post election violence in some States in the northern part of the country which resulted in the death of about 10 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), is already taking a toll on the 38-year old laudable scheme, designed to re-orientate and integrate graduates from the nation’s universities and other tertiary institutions into the country’s polity.

Sadly enough, virtually all prospective NYSC Batch ‘B’ corps members from the southern part of the country, recently issued their call-up letters are refusing to report to the various orientation camps located in States such as Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, among others, generally regarded as hot beds of “Boko Haram” attacks on non-Muslims.

Confirmed reports say scores of prospective corps members from Rivers State, issued their call-up letters last week, are working tirelessly to change their postings to the  northern States listed above, due to the obvious threats to their lives.

Beyond that, the Association of Parents, University of Lagos Students, also expressed concern last week over their children and wards being posted to the North by the authorities of the NYSC. They are worried that the security situation in some northern States is still very dicey in view of the activities of the “Boko Haram” sect.

The parents association is, therefore, requesting  that unless the security situation in the Northern States  improves, their children should not be posted to the “Boko Haram’s friendly States” by the NYSC authorities. Rather, their children and wards should be posted to the geo-political zones of South West, South East and South-South.

Again, they argued that their worries bordered principally on the spate of killings of innocent Christians as well as promising graduates (corps members) posted to the North to serve the nation. Yet, the authorities of NYSC scheme are glossing over the matter.

Just last weekend, reports say, at least, 13 people were killed in Maiduguri, Borno State capital apparently caused by some explosives planted by the “Boko Haram” sect. Security agencies in that State say (as usual) they are investigating the perpetrators of the dastardly act in order to bring them to book.

Worse still, the State Security Services(SSS) in Niger State, over the weekend, raised an alarm over the bloody activities of new Islamic fanatics, called “Albani” sect, operating like the “Boko Harams.”

Viewed against this backdrop, we strongly support the call for the posting of Christian corps members to the geo-political zones of South-East, South-West and South-South, rather than the Northern States where the “Boko Haram” sect and other newly formed Islamic sects are spilling the blood of innocent citizens of this country, under the so-called federalism.

Yes, the lives of the youth Corpers are more precious than the NYSC service. Therefore, they must not be allowed  (in the name of national assignmnent) to be slaughtered by those ubiquitous “Boko Haram’ and “Albani” sects.

The Tide insists that until the federal authorities stop forthwith, the senseless blood-letting by these Islamic sects, prospective NYSC members from the South-East, South-South and South-West geo-political zones should be posted within these three geo-political zones, in order to save their lives and property.

Specifically, we want to call on the Federal Government to prevail on the authorities of the NYSC management to halt the posting of Youth Corps members from these zones to the Northern states, until the security situation is brought under control.

All said, no parent would want his or her children  to be slaughtered like goats in the name of National Youth Service.