The Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier-General Johnson
Olawumi, told President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday that there were plans to
make the scheme voluntary and reduce the corps population to make the programme
more sustainable.
The NYSC Director General spoke during the briefing of the
President by officials of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development led by the
Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Rabi Jimeta to the President at Aso Rock presidential
villa.
Jimeta had earlier told the President that the increasing
number of NYSC participants posed a challenge to the scheme due to the
dwindling revenue, from the national budget, to cater for their needs.
She told the President that the annual enrolment of corps
participants had increased from 2,364 at inception in 1974 to 229,016 in 2014.
“Given the
increasing number of tertiary institutions, our projection is that the number
of corps participants may rise to 300,000 by year 2020,” she said.
However, Buhari who spoke after the briefing pledged that
his administration will take all necessary actions to maintain and improve the
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme as a functional vehicle for the
promotion of national unity and integration.
The President affirmed his confidence and trust in the
programme, saying that the objective for which the scheme was established in
1973 was still very relevant for national development now.
“I firmly
believe in NYSC and I think it should remain a national programme to promote
integration.
“Whenever I
go home to Daura, I look out for Corps members from Lagos, Aba and other parts
of the country.
“I am always
thrilled to learn that except for the NYSC, some of them have never left their
states of origin to visit other cities in the country,” President Buhari said.
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