Guest speaker at the NYSC at 50 celebration in Abuja Attahiru Jega has called for repositioning of the National Youth service Corps as a voluntary national service for Nigerian graduates.
He explained that if the scheme must be made mandatory, it should be upgraded in accordance with global best practices.
The National youth service corps was created in 1973 as an avenue for the reconciliation, reconstruction, and rebuilding of the nation after the civil war.
Fifty years down the line, the scheme has continued to contribute to the growth of the nation’s economy, health , education and the conduct of the nation’s elections.
This celebration of the scheme’s 50th Anniversary gathered dignitaries to commemorate the achievements of the scheme and its contributions to nation building.
The guest speaker in his lecture call for the scheme to be made voluntary to enable the Scheme function effectively.
But this is not the view of many others.
The management of the scheme wants the president to assent to the NYSC trust fund bill before he leaves in May 29th.
No matter the discourse over whether the scheme has outlived its usefulness or not, there is no gainsaying the fact that it has helped those who passed through it to better understand different parts of the whole that constitutes Nigeria.
