An education advocate has called on the federal government to suspend the National Youth Service Corps scheme until Nigeria becomes safe enough for the programme to operate without putting young graduates at risk.
Onono Onimisi, founder of the Onono Onimisi Foundation and a girls' education advocate, made the call in a statement issued in Abuja over the weekend, citing worsening insecurity across the country.
She warned that the current security situation has made the scheme unsafe for young graduates and stressed that continuing with the programme without guaranteeing their safety was irresponsible.
Onimisi stated that the NYSC scheme in its present form has become outdated in a country battling kidnappings, banditry and terrorism. "The NYSC scheme should be suspended or fundamentally restructured until Nigeria becomes safe enough for such a programme to operate without putting young people at risk," she said.
She cited the recent case of Abba, a corps member, who was reportedly kidnapped and tortured while travelling home after completing his national service.
"Because if Abba could become a victim today, we do not know who the next victim might be tomorrow. A nation that cannot protect its youth has no moral justification to keep placing them in danger," she added. She noted that every year, thousands of graduates are posted to unfamiliar states and forced to travel through roads widely considered unsafe.
