Nysc Scheme Cannot Remain As It Is – Senate Call For Overhaul

BEVERLY HILLS, December 09, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian Senate has called for an overhaul and repositioning of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) in the interest of corps members.

The Senate also urged the Federal Government to immediately improve medical facilities in all NYSC orientation camps including deploying experienced medical personnel in the camps insisting that the state of orientation camps across the country was unfit for human habitation.

The resolution followed a review of the death of three corps members in orientation camps in Kano, Zamfara and Bayelsa as the Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, (Osun Central) painted the pathetic deaths of the corps members to the Senators.

“The death of corps members is becoming a recurrent decimal in almost all NYSC Camps across the country,” Adeyeye said

“Experienced medical personnel are practically non-existent in all our Orientation Camps across the country as fresh doctors who have not garnered any experience are the ones administering treatments to corps members.

“Medical facilities at most Orientation Camps leave a lot to be desired as one of the deceased, Ifedolapo called home five hours to her death and told her sister, Mrs. Oyeyode Abimbola (a nurse) to start coming to her Kano Orientation Camp, alleging poor care at the NYSC camp.

“An Orientation Camp that houses over 3,000 corps members cannot boast of modern facilities to cater for the needs of corps members while undergoing the mandatory Orientation Programme.”

Senators agreed with Adeyeye that steps should be taken for the total overhaul of NYSC scheme and mandated its Committee on Sports and Youth Development to conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the three corps members in order to prevent future occurrence.

Senate President Bukola Saraki also underscored the need to address the issue of health services in NYSC orientation camps adding that funds to address the issue of health services in NYSC camps should be captured in the 2017 budget.

Story by Oputah David.