Parents have called for an urgent review of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, saying the increasing abduction of corps members has made interstate deployment too risky.
The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) said the Federal Government should either scrap the NYSC scheme or allow graduates to complete their mandatory service in their states of origin.
Chairman of NAPTAN’s Board of Trustees, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, made the call in an interview, amid reports of corps members being held captive by kidnappers.
Ogunbanjo said parents were increasingly worried about the safety of their children, particularly those who travel long distances by road to their places of primary assignment.
“Parents are not happy with the incessant abduction and kidnapping of our children going for the NYSC scheme. This must stop,” he said.
He argued that the majority of corps members could not afford air travel to their deployment states, leaving them exposed to dangers on Nigeria’s highways.
According to him, fewer than five per cent of parents can afford to send their children to their deployment locations by air, meaning that more than 95 per cent are likely to travel by road.
“The realities of today are not fully supporting the original idea behind the scheme," Ogunbanjo said, adding that the government should consider allowing corps members to serve in their states of origin.
He also criticised conditions in some NYSC orientation camps and places of primary assignment, calling for better welfare, accommodation and other basic facilities for corps members.
“Graduates should not be treated as animals,” he said, urging employers participating in the scheme to provide adequate accommodation and basic welfare for corps members.
Ogunbanjo further appealed for the immediate and safe release of corps members being held by kidnappers, particularly the 19 reportedly in captivity in Imo State.
He questioned how families already unable to afford airfares could raise millions of naira demanded as ransom by kidnappers.
The NAPTAN official said the government should prioritise the safety of corps members and urgently reassess the current deployment system.
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