Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa Coordinator of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs. Charity Okpalifo has said the benefits of the NYSC Scheme outweigh the reasons for calls for the scrapping by some groups.
According to her security challenges being experienced in Nigeria are not a justifiable reason to jettison the scheme that promotes national integration, and patriotism and prepares the youths to join the society.
Okpalifo, made this known during an interactive session with journalists in her office in Yenagoa.
She said that the issue of insecurity is not peculiar to NYSC, adding the NYSC scheme is a training programme that prepares the youths for the challenges ahead.
Okpalifo said, “What of students in the school, so when they kidnap students, does it entail all the institutions should be closed?
“These are questions we have to ask ourselves. When it comes to NYSC, everybody is shouting without knowing what the NYSC has done for the nation.
“Imagine students coming out from school and you just throw them out to the society? Do you know how it will be?
“By the time they finish spending that one year and come back, their thinking and orientation will change automatically. It is a kind of transition, we are building youths, and it is not even easy,” she said.
The State Coordinator noted that the scheme should be commended despite lapses it doesn’t mean you should throw the child with the bath water.
“We feel it, the government they feel it. See the whole country now how it is, do we shut down Nigeria because there is insecurity?
“We restrict ourselves to the administrative job we are doing. Left for me, it is not because of what is happening that some persons will say we scrap out NYSC because the benefits outweigh the challenges we are facing now.”
The state coordinator solicited for partnership with the media on the NYSC quarterly programme called Health Initiative for rural dwellers in Bayelsa.
She explained that the corps medical personnel have so far visited some communities like Sampou, Ekpetiama and others.
“We have a health initiative for rural dwellers. Our corps medical personnel on quarterly bases move from one community to another, giving health care delivery free of charge.
“What they need is support like drugs and some other things that will help them from one locality to another.
“So, these are the things that people don’t know, they just see Corpers going up and down, they don’t know what they are contributing to the society where they are serving.
“Ours is to supply human resources- the corps members, medical personnel, pharmacists and nurses. The sourcing of drugs is from the public. It is when we get enough that we schedule where to go,” Okpalifo said.
According to the coordinator, the state government has been helping the scheme in terms of regular payment of allowances and the lodges they had built for Corps members.
“Almost all the communities and local government areas have corps members lodges. If they are finally leaving the service year, the government still pay them money as transport to go home,” she said.