“Corps members can be mobilised for war” – NYSC DG
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brig.Gen Shuaibu Ibrahim, has stated that corps members of the scheme can be deployed to war, as he described them as part of the national defence policy.
Ibrahim said this on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ programme on Wednesday while reacting to moves to scrap the NYSC scheme which is compulsory for all Nigerians who graduate before the age of 30.
Ibrahim said, “Corps members are on reserve. They are part of the national defence policy of this country. So, where there is serious war, our corps members are educated, they are knowledgeable and they can be trained. You see the drill and so on.
“You can imagine within the short three weeks in the orientation camps, the corps members are moulded. They are like soldiers. You see female corps members blowing the army horn, playing with the military band.
“So, if not for the knowledge, where are you going to mobilise such young Nigerians to train them quickly to put in their best for the country? So, corps members are on reserve. They are also part of the national defence policy.”
He described the scheme as more relevant now with the calls for secession by various groups in the country.
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