Insecurity: MURIC urges FG to scrap NYSC

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) on Thursday urged the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency scrap the one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The organisation expressed concerns over the safety of corps members who leave their homes to travel to different states in the country for the scheme.

In a statement issued by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC advised President Bola Tinubu to facilitate the scrapping of the scheme if the FG cannot deliver on its primary responsibility of protecting corps members and the general public from kidnappers and marauders rampaging the country.

Akintola who cited the kidnapping of corps members by bandits and terrorists also urged the government to ensure that full life insurance is provided for every Nigerian graduate embarking on the one-year mandatory schemes

He added that the FG must be able to provide mandatory military escorts for corps members travelling to high-risk zones.

“Our attention has been drawn to the ongoing clamour for the safety of youth corps members during their service year. Many have called for the scrapping of the scheme if the safety of youth corps members cannot be guaranteed by the Federal Government (FG).

‎‎”These sad incidents should not be happening to our youths. It is already assaulting their psyche and militarising them.

“FG must therefore add a human face to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme by taking every necessary step to make it a safe venture for our young ones. We must transform NYSC from a pact with death and captivity to a journey through life and hope,” Akintola said.

He further queried FG’s abdication of its responsibility of protecting every Nigerian to the parents of the corps members serving in high-risk states across the country.