COVID19: We Cannot Mobilize NYSC Members now- Brig Shuaibu, DG
The National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) has said that it has no intention to mobilize prospective corps members anytime soon, especially as the country is still grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.
The Director-General of the Scheme, Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Shuaibu, who made this known in an interview with the Economic Confidential, said they don’t know when they will mobilize corps members again.
Gen. Shuaibu, said the management will only organize fresh orientation exercise the moment the coast becomes clear, and they receive the green light from relevant authorities.
The DG, noted that the Batch A, Stream 1 corps members who were already camping, but had to be hurriedly dismissed due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, will be recalled back to their various orientation camps to complete the remaining part of the training.
Hear him: “We don’t know when we are going to start mobilizing our corps members. You know our training is also structured like that of the military and paramilitary. You can see that the Nigerian Navy recently suspended its training for its freshly recruited cadets.
“So, the moment the coast is clear, we are going to key into the way others will conduct their exercise, so that our corps members can be called back soonest.”
General Shuaibu expressed delight over the success story of the Scheme’s Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme and the plan to generate revenue from the creative ingenuity and productivity of corps members.
He said: “The SAED programme has recorded tremendous successes, which can even be seen from the activities of our corps members in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Our corps members, nationwide, produced face masks, sanitizers, disinfectant tools, and automatic sanitizing machines. They are also involved in the sensitization and distribution of palliatives of some of these items to communities.
On the plan to to commercialise some activities in the scheme for internally generated, NYSC boss disclosed that when he realised that many people saw NYSC as a burden, the management rejigged the scheme’s ventures to find ways to generate and bring ‘something’ to the table.
“We now have NYSC bread and Table Water Company in Kubwa. We want to see how we can replicate same in the States. So that during orientation exercises we can get these items from our production plants, and feed our corps members in camps.
“Some of our Corpers are into fish and snail farming in NYSC farms. We want to embark in commercial farming of rice. We want to key into the Federal Government’s policy on local content on agric business. This is because we don’t want to be a burden on government. Therefore, we must continue to look for ways to internally generate our revenue.”
Read the full interview here: https://economicconfidential.com/2020/05/nysc-youth-revenue-shuaib-dg/
Economic Confidential is a sister publication of PRNigeris
By PRNigeria
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We Prefer Coronavirus than to be killed by Bandits -Katsina District Head
Following the recent wave of gruesome attacks on innocent villagers in several communities at Ruma and Batsari Local Government Areas (LGAs), in Katsina State, the District Head of Batsari, Alhaji Tukur Mu’azu, said his subjects will prefer to die from Coronavirus than being killed by rampaging bandits.
Alhaji Mu’azu, who stated this in a short video, obtained by PRNigeria, noted that the rising insecurity in Katsina is worse than the threat of COVID-19.
The district head, who holds the traditional title of Sarkin Ruma Katsina said: “My people will prefer to die from coronavirus infection. Not from these senseless killings orchestrated by bandits. So far, the deadly pandemic has not claimed any life in Batsari and other neighboring Local Government Areas (LGAs), but the bandits have killed scores of harmless villagers and residents. So, what are we saying?”
On the recent attacks launched by bandits at old and new Ruma, the District Head, while speaking to PRNigeria during a phone chat, said the marauding criminals after invading over 10 communities, killed and maimed several lives.
He said several cattle and other livestock animals were also looted by the bandits.
Said Alh. Muazu: “The thing is, the bandits always scatter themselves when going on operations at our villages. Hence, security personnel find it difficult sometimes to easily contain the bandits’ attacks. However, we are still calling on the Federal Government to deploy more soldiers, mobile policemen and fighter helicopters to Katsina. Let them comb all the forests in our State, and eliminate these bandits.”
Speaking on the floor of the Katsina State House of Assembly Chamber, Hon. Mustapha Yusuf Jibiya, said the “irresponsibility and insensitivity” of relevant stakeholders was responsible for growing insecurity in the State.
“It is very disturbing that from eight Local Government Areas (LGAs), we now have about 12 Local Governments that are ravaged by the criminally-minded bandits. This is as a result of the insensitivity of both the State and Federal Government,” he said.
Jibiya, while speaking further in Hausa during the plenary session, warned that the precarious situation will snowball to a dangerous level, if no concrete action is taken by government to stem the tide of the bloody attacks.
He said: “If the relevant authorities and government fail to act now, the situation will soon get out of hand, and it will be difficult for us to then handle.”
The lawmaker, who firmly insisted that both the Federal and Katsina State Government have failed to provide security for citizens, disclosed that his constituents now prefer to call on the Nigerien security forces for help when in distress.
“My constituents are quick to seek the assistance of the Nigerien troops immediately they are under attack. They feel at home with them. And this is because the Nigerien troops will swiftly come to their rescue. It is unfortunate that our people are been killed, yet Mr. President and Governor of Katsina State have remained docile. They have refused to tackle the insecurity conundrum in our dear State headlong. What is wrong with this kind of leadership? After Maiduguri, Kastina is the next slaughter slab in the country,” Hon. Jibiya said.
