There are indications that the National
Youth Service Corps may bow to public pressure and reduce the
controversial N4,000 online registration fee the NYSC intended to charge
prospective corps members.
The Director of Press and Public
Relations in NYSC, Mrs. Bose Aderibigbe, disclosed this while briefing
journalists on the outcome of the meeting held on Wednesday in Abuja
between the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig.- Gen. Johnson Olawumi,
and the Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Youth
Affairs, Mr. Jude Imagwe.
She said, “He (Imagwe) came to find out
what is going on about the outcry against the payment of N4,000 online
registration by prospective corps members. The DG told him that the
N4,000 being paid is not for call-up letters but just for the operation
and provision of infrastructural facilities in all NYSC camps and its 37
secretariats and offices in the 774 local governments nationwide. It is
for putting these Internet and manpower facilities to ensure easy
operation of prospective corps members.
“The DG has stated that the N4,000 issue
might not be reviewed for now but during subsequent orientation, it
might be possible after management and Sidmach Technologies have sat
down to see the possibility of the reduction. So for now, it might not
be possible but subsequent ones, if it is possible the entire public
will know about it.”
There had been criticisms against the
N4,000 fee but the NYSC had risen to its defence, saying the
computerisation would ease the rigorous processes involved in the
collection of call-up letters.
The full computerisation of the
mobilisation process beginning with the 2014 Batch ‘C’ mobilisation
exercise was endorsed at the 2014 NYSC Annual Management Conference,
held in Calabar.
The Director of Corps Mobilisation in
the NYSC, Mr. Anthony Ani, stated that the innovation would not bring
about job losses for members of staff.
