Reps to NYSC: Rescind decision on Benue varsity graduates

The House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to rescind its “apparently illegal decision” to suspend Benue State University graduates from further participation in the mandatory national service for alleged misconduct.

This is just as the House directed the Corps to immediately mobilize the affected graduates for the incoming Batch ‘C’ scheme billed for November, while its Committees on Youth Development and Legislative Compliance are to ensure that the directives are complied with.

The resolution followed a motion brought under matters of urgent public importance on ‘suspension of Benue State University graduates from further participation in the NYSC scheme’ by Emmanuel Orker-Jev (PDP, Benue).

Orker-Jev, leading debate on the motion, had noted that the NYSC had refused to mobilize the affected graduates for the Batch ‘C’ scheme even as graduates of the institution had featured in the exercise for over two decades.

“On 17 October, 2018, the NYSC released a letter stopping Benue State University graduates from participating in the mandatory service year with reason that some of the graduates falsified their age in a desperate move to take part in the scheme,” Orker-Jev said.

The lawmaker expressed concern that the action has brought untold hardship on the affected graduates, most of whom are innocent of the alleged age falsification, and are anxious to serve the nation.

In their separate contributions, Abdulrazak Namdas (APC, Adamawa) and Pally Iriase (APC, Edo), decried the action of the NYSC authorities and urged the House to intervene by adopting the prayers in the motion and compel the Corps to rescind its decision for the benefit of the affected graduates.

Edward Pwajork (PDP, Plateau) argued that the action of the Corps contravenes the mandates establishing it as embedded in the NYSC Act. According to him, “any malfeasance by any student should have been treated individually.”

However, Mojeed Alabi (APC, Osun) countered that the NYSC, being a national service established by law and guided by rules of conduct, should be allowed to determine who is qualified to take part in national service without external meddling.