President Tinubu Directs Inclusion Of NOUN Graduates In NYSC Scheme

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has mandated the Federal Ministry of Education to develop guidelines for including graduates of the National Open University (NOUN) in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme. This directive was given during the university’s 13th convocation ceremony, held at the University’s Convocation Arena in Jabi, Abuja. Represented by Biodun Saliu, Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), the President expressed his administration’s commitment to addressing educational inclusivity. “With the changing demographics of our great nation, the government has recognized the importance of allowing NOUN graduates to participate in the NYSC scheme,” President Tinubu stated, emphasizing the need to harness the potential of young Nigerians from all educational backgrounds. In a related development, President Tinubu also announced the resolution of the long-standing issue concerning the admittance of NOUN law graduates to the country’s law schools. “The doors of the Law School are now open to the graduates, ensuring equal opportunities for all,” he declared. This move is expected to remove any remaining barriers faced by NOUN graduates in legal education, further cementing the government’s stance on educational equality.

No plan to increase NYSC’ Allowance-FG

The Federal Government has said it is not certain there will be an increase in the monthly allowance of serving members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The Minister of Youth Development, Jamila Bio-Ibrahim, made this known on Sunday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics. Bio-Ibrahim said there are no immediate plans to increase the monthly allowance of corps members following the food inflation and increasing cost of living in the nation. The minister stated that the government would find innovative ways of ensuring that corps members’ welfare is well taken of. She said, “We can’t say for sure, we all understand that resources are dwindling, even oil revenues are not as they used to be but we will find innovative ways of ensuring that corps members’ welfare is taken of. ” Recall that former President Muhammadu Buhari, in January 2020, raised allowance for corps members from N19,000 to N33,000, about a year after he signed the new minimum wage bill into law in April 2019. Speaking further, the minister said the government has announced a reform of the NYSC scheme and is planning to make it a revenue-generating scheme and agency. She said, “When it comes to remuneration and looking totally at the holistic funding of the NYSC, we have announced a reform of the NYSC scheme itself. So, we want the scheme to go beyond that social programme of government to be that revenue-generating scheme and agency. “The reforms which transform the NYSC into a revenue-generating agency and prepare the corps members for the job market and to be decently and gainfully employed or to be employers of labour through entrepreneurship and of course, perfect matching into primary assignment and all the support they need in that career path.”

FG Says NYSC Will Soon Be Revenue Generating Agency

The Bola Tinubu-led federal government has unveiled a fresh plan to transform the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) into a revenue-generating agency. The Minister of Youth Development, Jamila Bio-Ibrahim, disclosed this during an interview with ChannelsTV on Sunday night. Asked if there were immediate plans to increase the monthly allowance of corps members, the minister said the government was working on reforming the NYSC scheme to reflect the present realities of the nation. “We all understand that resources are dwindling, even oil revenues are not as they used to be but we will find innovative ways of ensuring that corps members’ welfare is well-taken care of,” she said. “When it comes to remuneration and looking totally at the holistic funding of the NYSC, we have announced a reform of the NYSC scheme itself. So, we want the scheme to go beyond that social programme of government to be that revenue-generating scheme and agency. “The reforms which transform the NYSC into a revenue-generating agency and prepare the corps members for the job market and to be decently and gainfully employed or to be employers of labour through entrepreneurship and of course, perfect matching into primary assignment and all the support they need in that career path.” She noted that corps members were no longer posted to states deemed unsafe in the wake of worsening security conditions in the country. “As an immediate intervention of the government and the NYSC as an agency, we have actually stopped posting corps members to the very unsafe states. “We have been doing it. We have been doing it in the past. There are states we have not been posting corps members to to ensure their safety,” she added. According to her, the security of corps members requires collaboration with other agencies of government. “When it comes to security matters, it is a multi-sectoral approach. So, it is not the NYSC alone and the ministry that is involved. We are working with security outlets to ensure corps members are safe,” the minister said.

Court bars NYSC from further disclaiming Enugu governor-elect’s certificate

The Federal High Court, Abuja has restrained the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from further publishing a disclaimer, denying the issuance of a certificate dated Janaury 6, 2003 to the Enugu state Governor-elect, Mr. Peter Mbah. Ruling on an ex-parte application moved by Mr. Emeka Ozoani (SAN), on behalf of Mbah, Justice Inyang Ekwo also barred the NYSC Director, Corps Certification, Mr Ibrahim Muhammad from continuing to issue a disclaimer to the effect that Mbah’s NYSC certificate was not issued by the NYSC. Ozoani brought the motion under Section 13(1) & (2) of the Federal High Court Act Cap F12, Vol. 6, Law of Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Order 26 Rule 6(1) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019.  Justice Ekwo granted prayer one on the motion paper. The judge, however, refused to grant prayer two saying that it was far-reaching but rather ordered the plaintiff to put the defendants on notice. He said that the second prayer was an issue to be adjudicated upon in the substantive suit. Consequently, the trial judge ordered the applicant to serve the defendants with court processes within two days of the order. The motion ex parte was predicated on 10 grounds. He said that after graduating in law from the University of East London in 2000, returned to Nigeria and as a pre-requisite to practice as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, applied and was admitted into the Bar part 1 programme of the Nigerian Law School. Mbah said upon completing the bar part I exam, he had to wait for the bar part 2 programme, and was advised that instead of spending time idling around, he should proceed to the mandatory one year NYSC programme. He said he was called up for NYSC and was deployed initially to Nigerian Ports Authority Apapa for his primary assignment but was rejected by NPA, before securing the law firm of Ude & Associates. “The plaintiff in the course of his service year and after six months of NYSC, applied and was granted approval to defer the NYSC in order to enable him complete the bar final exam. “Thereafter, the plaintiff was re-mobilized to finish the NYSC programme, which he did complete.” Mbah averred that upon completion of the NYSC, he was issued the certificate of National Service No. A.808297 dated January 6 2003. Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until May 22 for a hearing of the motion on notice. The NYSC had on Feb. 1 written a letter signed by Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed, saying that the NYSC certificate belonging to Mbah was not issued by the corps. Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the Enugu state governorship election held on March 18.