Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jamila Bio-Ibrahim has said that based on the evolving economic and socio landscape of Nigeria, there was the need for a major restructuring for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to ensure it effectively meets current and future challenges.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the 2024 batch A pre-mobilisation workshop, she said the restructuring would transform the NYSC into a key driver of youth empowerment and economic development.
She said while the scheme has successfully created a platform in fostering unity, the NYSC’s current structure was limited to providing corps members with relevant skills and careers opportunities.
However, she said there was an urgent need to evolve the NYSC to promote national unity and become a critical platform for skills development, addressing the aspiration of Nigerians youths and the nations economic needs.
According to her, recognizing that the youths were the heartbeat of the nation, their seamless integration into various sectors was paramount for sustainable development.
Ibrahim noted that the efforts of NYSC to end fake certificate through rigorous verifications process shows it’s commitment to uphold integrity, hence, the initiative has prompted the Federal government to launch an investigation which demonstrates a collective dedication to purge the system of fraudulent practices.
“Recognizing the menace posed by fake certificates and other related fraudulent practices through the mobilisation process, the need for restructuring the NYSC becomes even more apparent.”
“The restructuring aligns seamlessly with the objectives of the NYSC programme, aiming to address vulnerabilities and ensure the integrity of the mobilisation process,” she said.
According to her, when critical stakeholders come together, they lay the groundwork for innovative solutions that effectively combat fraudulent practices, hence, the need for a more robust system that benefits the youths and nation large.
While declaring the workshop open, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, Represented by Mandate Secretary Social Development and Welfare Secretariat, Hon. Ibrahim Aminu.
said the FCT would continue to provide security and welfare for Corps members.
On his part, Director General National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed disclosed that on the area of fake certificate, the scheme has adopted to use facial recognition form of registration, ten finger registration amongst other means of security checks.
He assured that the scheme remained unwavering in it’s determination to block any threat to the credibility of the mobilization, including attempts by unqualified persons to get enlisted for the National Service.
“The physical verification exercise and several other measures adopted in this regard have gone a long way in exposing fake graduates, especially those claiming to be foreign-trained.”
“Over the years, we have black-listed local and foreign institutions found to be engaged in fraudulent practices, in addition to making formal reports on their activities to regulatory authorities,” he said.
Ahmed called for joint efforts by all Stakeholders to block fake graduates from Mobilization.
He said the act of the fake graduates pose a serious threat to the socio-economic wellbeing of the country, especially when allowed to penetrate the workforce of sensitive sectors such as health and education.