The concerns of Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, on the recent abduction of eight prospective Corps members in Zamfara Stateare understandable as unfortunate incidents such as this are deeply unsettling and raise important questions about the safety and well-being of not just our young citizens but indeed all Nigerians in general.
While it is natural to feel anger and frustration in the light of this unfortunate event, it is logical to properly analyse the issues on ground and proffer solutions dispassionately. Advocating for the scrapping NYSC onaccount of the recent Kidnap of the prospective Corps members by Mrs. Henshaw could be likened to “throwing away the baby with the bathwater”. The crucial considerationshould be a holistic approach that addresses the security challenges threatening such an important national programmes like the NYSC.
If we are to tow the line of Kate Henshaw, all the schools in Nigeria would have been closed down on account of the abduction of the Chibok girls because we could not guarantee their safety, ban shooting of movies nationwide just because of the actress that was kidnapped while shooting a movie at a location in Enugu some months ago or better still even stop our crude oil exploitation because some oil workers were kidnapped in the creeks? We have to be pragmatic not sentimental in addressing security issues so as to ensure that our nation continues to make progress on all fronts despite our current challenges.
While agreeing with the actress that the safety and security of Nigerians and indeed Corps members should be a top priority however, it is imperative for everyone, including the actress, to support the efforts of government and relevant authorities to mitigate the risks faced by all Nigerians including members of the NYSC.
It is imperative to state clearly that NYSC has not outlived its usefulness. The Scheme over the years has remained a vital institution notjust in promoting national unity, its core mandate, but has made and is still making invaluable contributions to the socio-economic development of Nigeria. In addition to fostering national cohesion NYSC has received accolades both locally and internationally for its achievements in the past 50 years of mobilizing Nigerian graduate youths to contribute to national development.
It is also a known fact that the management of NYSC places high premium on the welfareand safety of Corps Members. The Scheme is in constant liaison with security agencies to provide security cover for Corps members across the country. Apart from engaging security experts to educate Corps members on safety measures during their OrientationCourse, the Scheme operates a Distress CallCentre manned 24 hours for the benefit of members of the Service Corps, always issuetravel advisories to both prospective and serving Corps members to safeguard them,among others.
The Service Corps has always relied on security advisory from security agencies before deployment of Corps Members to any location. This explains why the Orientation Course for Corps Members deployed to security challenged States were always dislodged to other states. A case in point is Borno State which just resumed hostingOrientation Course programme in the Stateafter thirteen years of dislodgement due to insecurity.
Rather than calls to scrap NYSC, we should focus on comprehensive measures to strengthen the Scheme to deepen its relevance to achieve more for the nation.
It pertinent to inform Nigerians that in line with its policy of putting the welfare and safety Corps participants on the front burner, the NYSC management is working closely with security agencies to ensure ensure speedy rescue and release of the abducted Corps Members and bring the perpetrators to justice.
While the government has a crucial role to play in ensuring the safety of Corps members, it is equally important for individuals, organizations and communities to actively participate in creating a secure environment for all. By forging a strong sense of shared responsibility, we can collectively work towards the protection and well-being of these youths on national assignment.
Let us therefore view the recent incident as awake–up call to all of us that the guaranteeingthe security of members of the NYSC and indeed all Nigerians is a collective responsibility. We must work together, support and assist security operativesnationwide to address the security challengeby implementing measures to ensure the safety of all Nigerians including Corps members. By so doing we can uphold the core values and objectives of the NYSC while protecting the future generations of Nigeria.
•Written By Eze Olugele
