Scrap NYSC now to save young people – Mahdi Shehu tells Nigerian govt
Activist Calls for End to National Youth Service Corps Amid Heightened Kidnapping Threats
Nigerian activist Mahdi Shehu has urged for the dissolution of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), citing the alarming rise in kidnappings across the country as a major concern for the safety of young graduates. Speaking on Channels Television, Shehu labeled the recent abduction of prospective corps members en route to orientation camps in Akwa Ibom and Abuja as “one incident too many.”
Shehu emphasized that numerous cases of kidnapping and violence remain unreported, particularly in northern Nigeria, the Middle Belt, and other regions, raising questions about the safety of NYSC participants during their mandatory service outside their home states.
“The entire NYSC was meant to unite Nigeria,” Shehu stated. “But if in uniting Nigeria, you lose your daughter, you lose your son, you lose your uncle, you lose your sister, or your neighbor, then it’s not worth the trouble.”
To enhance safety, Shehu proposed that corps members be permitted to serve in their home states, suggesting this would mitigate the financial and security risks associated with interstate deployment. “Allow each and every copper to serve in his own state, travelling with all the dangers, with all the costs,” he said.
Shehu also expressed concerns about the integrity of the NYSC program, alleging that some politicians have falsified NYSC certificates while expressing a lack of belief in the initiative. “As far as I’m concerned, the NYSC programme has outlived its usefulness. It should be scrapped,” he added.
Reflecting on the broader security landscape, Shehu noted that the increasing targeting of corps members and commercial travelers signifies a profound failure in governance and societal responsibility. He argued that these incidents reveal a leadership failure compounded by societal complacency and corruption within security agencies.
“Criminal groups are increasingly targeting vulnerable people as ‘soft targets,’ including corps members and travelers,” he stated. “The next one is blackmailing either the parents or blackmailing the government to collect money.”
Shehu called for a comprehensive examination of the underlying factors contributing to the crisis of kidnapping, rather than only addressing individual cases. He asserted that the current climate of fear, perpetuated by a small number of criminals, necessitates a reevaluation of the NYSC program and the broader strategies to combat kidnapping in Nigeria.
