Corpers’ abduction: Suspend NYSC scheme — ADC
by Adeola Balogun · The Eagle OnlineMeanwhile, the African Democratic Congress has called for the suspension of the NYSC scheme for one year to allow the Federal Government to reorganise the programme and strengthen measures to ensure the safety of corps members.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the call in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday.
Abdullahi said the NYSC remained relevant to national unity but argued that the current security situation required the temporary suspension and review of the scheme.
“I think the NYSC is still relevant. But I think we need to respond to the current situation of insecurity in the country.
“If we were to advise the President, we think this is the time to suspend it for at least one year to give room for proper reorganisation, in such a way that it will protect the young people and also make the scheme worthwhile for them.
“Beyond that, it is a very important scheme for fostering national unity. The issues that the NYSC sought to address since it was created in 1973, at the end of the Civil War, are still there. So, we think it remains relevant.
“But we need to be responsible. We need to understand that it is also about the lives of other people, more than anything else. It is a different country today from what it was many years ago,” he said.
Abdullahi also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity, accusing President Bola Tinubu of blaming security agencies rather than addressing weaknesses in the country’s security architecture.
“On the issue of the President blaming the security agencies or anything, the President is blaming the victim, as usual. Because the security personnel are also not properly prepared. They are not properly equipped for this,” he said.
He questioned how the abductors were able to intercept the prospective corps members despite indications that the area was vulnerable to kidnapping.
“If many corps members can be abducted at once, somebody must have given information to the people who carried out the abduction and no one was able to stop them,” he lamented.
Abdullahi also criticised President Tinubu’s Independence Day address, saying he devoted insufficient attention to the security situation.
“The President made a single reference to the security situation in the country—not even one word,” he said.
He further accused the President of being more concerned about the 2027 election than Nigerians held captive by kidnappers.
Also Read
- Temi Nkem wins BBNaija season 11
- NDC, LP, SDP, others demand rescue of corpers
- Corpers’ abduction: Suspend NYSC scheme — ADC
- Corpers’ abduction: Kidnappers slash ransom to N5m each
- Nigeria as a cancer patient, by Kazeem Akintunde
“The President does not even consider it to be his responsibility. He is only concerned about winning the election. And that is why everything he did in that speech was to tell us that things have gone very well and, therefore, we should vote for him again because now we can enjoy prosperity.
“That is all he was saying. He didn’t care about the people who are in captivity under his watch. And it doesn’t appear that he was able to do anything about it. Now, he is only concerned about the election,” he added.
[wpadcenter_ad id='745970' align='none']