By Richard Murphy

Horrifying. Outrageous. Those are the natural reactions that any sane person would think of in response to a motion currently being cooked up in the House of Representatives to draft members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) into fighting terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes that currently plague the country.

The motion, “The need to review the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) three weeks orientation camp to include security intelligence operations training for selected corps members,” is one that should never have been contemplated by anyone let alone committing it to paper and then presenting it before the highest law-making body of the land. Only those that harbour ill-will towards the younger population of this country could have come up with such a dangerous proposition.

Oftentimes, critics accuse federal law makers of being out of tune with the reality in the land, and the pushback from some quarters is that members of the National Assembly are being harshly judged. But in the matter of this motion to fully militarize the NYSC, or at least a section of the corps members for each batch of orientation, takes the cake for bungling. A face saving measure is for those behind this motion to drop it and make the additional effort to erase it from the annals of the National Assembly so that there would be no trace that someone once thought up such concept that should be considered criminal in a sane circumstance.

For context, the motion seeks to: “Mandate the House Committee on Defense and House Committee on Youth to review the curriculum for the National Youth Service Corps Scheme to include full intelligence operations for selected corps members; Mandate both House Committees to review the current partial-paramilitary training for NYSC during the 3 weeks orientation Camp to include tactical and intelligence data collation; Mandate all security agencies to engage the selected corps members to specialized military operations to improve on security personnel operations in Nigeria; and Mandate the house committee on youth, defense, police, interior, army, navy, air force, customs and committee on compliance to ensure legislative compliance.”

Too many things are wrong with these ambitions of the sponsors of the motion. For the sake of brevity, a few of them would be touched on in this piece. Readers are welcome to add the other cringeworthy deficit in conceptualizing this motion, the lawmakers are oblivious of.

First, corps members are already exposed to enough risks with the electoral duties some of them take on. In 2011, 10 corps members were killed in Bauchi state in election violence and that was because corps members performed electoral duties. In the subsequent elections since 2011, some corps members can attest to how they are threatened by people with vested interests. If this happens with electoral duties that span just a couple of weeks then one can imagine the consequences of taking on full military duties.

Secondly, the duration of the national youth service, one year, is not enough for the “selected” corps members to master the art of “tactical and intelligence data collation” on the scale required of professionals. A cursory check would have revealed to the House of Representatives members that those who handle these all-important tasks in the security agencies are products of years of training and experience – yet mistakes still happen. There is therefore the challenge of how to train convert corps members into experts in under three weeks and how they can acquire the requisite experience in the same space of time or even three months. They would not even have the advantage of being locals since they are statutorily not expected to serve in their home states, where they went to school or where they reside.

Furthermore, another problem arises from the preceding point. How do we deal with equipping thousands of youth with military skills, keep them for one year and then turn them loose in a country that is already grappling with crippling unemployment? It is doubtful that anyone wants to contemplate such a nightmarish situation. The news archives are replete with stories of ex-military and paramilitary personnel who took to crime upon leaving service – it is not assumed that every one that is equipped with military skills and let go will necessarily take to crime but the one percent that could take that route is a risk not worth taking.

Additionally, what would have been the solution to the challenge of training and letting go of the corps members is simply not practical. Each year, as many as 350,000 corps members are mobilized for the scheme; assuming 10 percent of this number is selected into the proposed para-military training, and it leaves the country with 35,000 youth trained in skills that would by default involve learning how to use firearms. In the space of four years the number of corps members that would have passed through that process would have exceeded the number of recruits that the entire security and paramilitary organizations in the country could absorb in that span of time. The resulting disaster would be complete.

Fifthly, even the corps members that are not selected, trained, and deployed in that capacity would become targets of terrorists and bandits. The NYSC uniform, which in the past decades have evolved into a symbol of the wearer being one whom the community must protect at all costs, will suddenly become the apparel of an enemy combatant as far as the terrorists are concerned. It is important not to lose sight of the reality that some members of the community in which these corps members serve are informants for the dark side. So the “tactical and intelligence data collators” would be sitting ducks from the day they leave orientation camp until such a tragic time that criminals decide to snuff the life out of them.

There is equally the problem of creating schism among corps members. A scheme that has thrived on the tenet of all corps members being equal will suddenly be confronted with the morass of “super corpers” in reference to the ones that would be trained to carry weapon, come into possession of sensitive intelligence, or trained to be militarily superior to their colleagues. Such “super corpers” will expectedly demand higher pay or special considerations to be treated differently from those that do not take the kind of risks they are exposed to. The foundation upon which the NYSC is based will simply unravel. That is not what we want as a country.

The motion can thus be concluded to be a joke taken too far by those that sponsored it. On the other hand, if the motion was not intended to be a comic relief amid the serious mood the country has been in, then it is a continuation of the selfish attempt to dismantle the NYSC to the detriment of the youth that draw inspirations from its unifying impact. The lawmakers would have to return to their drawing table, put on their thinking cap, and come up with an actually ingenious plot to destroy a scheme that Nigerians appreciate so much.

Interestingly, the NYSC has been contributing its quota towards addressing the insecurity in the land. Several experts and leaders of thoughts have identified youth unemployment as a major factor driving insecurity in the land, the argument involves how frustration and desperation drive the youth to engage in violent crimes. Taking guns to fight violent criminals would thus amount to tackling the symptoms but the NYSC through programmes run by its Skills Acquisition & Entrepreneurship Department (SAED) is addressing the root cause by preparing corps members to become entrepreneurs and employers of labour upon completion of their service year – some become business owners before their service year is over.

The Scheme similarly partners organizations to provide funding – in form of loans and grants for corps members to set up their small-scale businesses. The success stories from this initiative should have prompted the House of Representatives to specially commend the leadership of the NYSC. The programme is a robust example of training into enterprise whereby the beneficiaries acquire entrepreneurship skills and then get funding to ensure they have the resources to apply the skills they have learnt.

If the House of Representatives is keen on addressing insecurity it should support the NYSC to impact more corps members and further reduce the number of our young people that unemployment forced into taking desperate measures. Legislative support for the scheme in this regard will be a game changer.

The House of Representative must equally take the practical step of improving the capacity of those military and para-military organizations instead of exposing corps members to unnecessary danger. Instead of the slew of requests it is targeting at the NYSC, it should rather mandate all security agencies to increase their existing staffing capacity by identifying willing and capable youths for recruitment. Whatever budget would have been used to achieve the mandates of the motion should be directed at realizing the full-time recruitment of more personnel. Those to be so recruited would know and understand what they are signing up for such that the country will not bear the kind of liability that the motion will place on it.

Murphy is a security analysts based in Calabar.

By Anthony Kolawole

By Toby Prince

Nigeria is truly a great country on the African continent. We are blessed in multiple dimensions. The natural gold treasures, buried beneath our alluvia soils; fertile farmlands and resourceful forests have made us an enviable nation in the face of others on the continent.

And to ice the cake, God Almighty has bestowed Nigeria with the best brains in virtually every profession. Our human resources compete and rank top anywhere in the world.

We are damn blessed! Our only nightmare is how to locate the few gifted brains in our midst. They are really very few in the flock. But once in a while, the Almighty God allows the dais to fall on some of them.

In today’s Nigeria, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, I have sighted another golden fish of leadership. He is Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim. I wouldn’t say, he is just a military officer; but a soldier of the finest breed. Gen. Ibrahim is aroundly gifted.

Gen. Ibrahim breaks the hardest of rocks to make impacts, anywhere national duty beckons on him. He is an avid reader of the ilk of Military historians; a consummate administrator and voracious reformist.

In both academics and soldering, I know Gen. Ibrahim as someone who has measured beyond expectations and very rapidly. And very profoundly, the Nasarawa state- born Army General is loyal and patriotic to his country. He is a passionate lover of anything progressive and Nigerian youths are his first destination.

So, destiny flung him to lead the NYSC. Since 2019, when Gen. Ibrahim was appointed DG- NYSC, the scheme has broken new grounds in redefining itself. After decades of its establishment, the NYSC has finally landed itself on the palms of someone who knows the intricacies of its rejuvenation. And I dare say, that persona is Gen. Ibrahim.

Amazingly, the NYSC we have known through the years, which depends on the FGN for payment of all its basic bills is now paying revenues generated from its investment ventures into Government treasury. And who has made it possible? It is General Shuaibu Ibrahim.

It may surprise many Nigerians, but Shuaibu Ibrahim has paid over N1billion into FGN’s TSA account between 2020 and 2021. It’s the first in the nearly five decades of the history of NYSC. I re-echo again, Ibrahim is my hero in leadership.

And why? Ibrahim used the intellectual assets of these young Nigerian graduates to establish and reactivate moribund investment ventures of the scheme. Some other leaders would have embezzled the money and still beggingly ask President Buhari to fund the NYSC.

Under Gen. Ibrahim, the NYSC has deployed her intellectual assets to think outside the box! I was so shocked to know he has changed the negative narratives of the scheme in just two years. Ibrahim is a soldier whose mind pulsates with innovative ideas. NYSC is not the first bus stop for Gen. Ibrahim! He was the pioneer Registrar, Nigeria Army University Biu (NAUB) in Borno state where laid the template for the now booming institution.

Why is the NYSC generating revenue for the FGN now? Its Gen. Ibrahim! Doubting Thomases can personally seek to find out from him or his management team. But through my personal investigations, the man saw a brilliant, but repressed future of Nigerian youths and removed the veil.

The NYSC is now flaunting a pantheon of rewarding investments and generating revenues. Is it the Niger or Anambra states NYSC Garment Factories; the NYSC Rice Mill in Ezillo or NYSC Bakery and Water Factory in Abuja’s Kubwa? Or should I talk about the Lagos state NYSC Feed Mill at Iyana lpaja, which is a beehive of commercial activities or NYSC’s romance with Nigeria’s best brains through its Entertainment Company Limited, which encompasses the productive NYSC National Band; NYSC National Troupe and the NYSC Movie? Those in doubt, can still ask additional questions and probe further with Corporate Affairs Commission ( CAC) on NYSC corporate investments.

Have Nigerians not noticed the blossoming NYSC Farms in Kwali, FCT, Saminaka, Kebbi Bauchi States? The scheme has keyed into President Buhari’s masterplan on food security through agricultural revolution and executing it in a manner most State Governors have failed to do in their states. All these innovations have become possible because Gen. Ibrahim who knows how to harness productive talents is on the driver’s seat . I want to believe, Gen. Ibrahim is one among President Buhari’s proudest of appointees.

The NYSC under Gen. Ibrahim has established a museum to preserve the scheme’s history. Also, the process of establishing the NYSC’s Radio and Television has reached advanced stage. The Printing Press is Kaduna was commissioned on 21st January, 2022. This is the redefined face of NYSC as reconditioned by Gen. Ibrahim for you!

Elsewhere, in the Northwest and Southwest regions, the DG-NYSC has given a special boost to the scheme’s Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneural Development ( SAED) center, while work on the North-Central SAED center is actively pursued. Some Corps members who have passed through it in the last two years have become employers of labor. And Gen. Ibrahim plans to beef it, through an NYSC Trust Fund legislation from the National Assembly, which will offer passing out Corps members loans to fund their private businesses.

When COVID-19 attacked Nigeria in February 2020, the NYSC under the strict avant garde of Gen. Ibrahim were at the doorsteps of Nigerians to offer philanthropic services. For the first time, Corps members came out en masse for public sensitisation. It never stopped at it.

The NYSC also produced and distributed free of charge, facemasks, hand sanitisers and liquid soaps as part of their patriotic contributions to the national battle against COVID-19. It happened only under Gen. Ibrahim. We never saw the contributions of Corps members when Ebola struck us years back. Indeed, Ibrahim is a leadership genius. Other leaders at lower rungs in Nigeria should emulate
the DG-NYSC and his management team of competent professionals in human development for thinking outside the box.

Prince is a public affairs analyst based in Abuja.

By Suleiman Aliyu

I have a challenge with the kind of journalism practised in the country of late. This is so because it has become evident that objectivity has been completely eroded. To make matters worse, some supposed credible news platforms seem to have joined the bandwagon of fake news peddlers without recourse to their actions on the sensibilities of readers and stakeholders alike.

The news report by one popular news portal on the alleged plot to impose Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation, as governorship candidate is fueling the Kebbi APC crisis is below the belt for the people of Kebbi state. It was an empathic display of ignorance by the reporter and the medium. I am tempted to question not just the source of information in the news; I would also question the editorial competence of the editor that sanctioned such a story in the first place.

To link Abubakar Malami to the crisis in the APC in Kebbi state is most uncharitable. It was neither here nor there, but again, I can guess that some elements who feel threatened that should Malami indicate interest in the Kebbi Gubernatorial elections, it would be difficult for him not to receive statewide support.

I will like to refer to the insinuation that Governor Atiku Bagudu has plotted to impose Abubakar Malami on the people of Kebbi state. This is a misnomer that must be corrected. In Kebbi state, it must be stated that politics of imposition does not stand. But instead, candidates with the proper understanding of the peculiarities of the state always have the upper hand. This is a fact.

The creation of a new faction by Senator Adamu Aliero in the state to impose a stooge is mainly responsible for the crisis in the state. Recall that the Senator Adamu Aliero faction attempted to commission a new state secretariat to undermine the party executives in the state. Party faithfuls and stakeholders rejected this.

The attempt was not in the interest of the state, but a personal one and it is expected that the governor won’t allow such to happen. Abubakar Malami has never been the reason. However, there is every indication that should Abubakar Malami indicates interest; he would be faced with little or no obstacle amongst the stakeholders in the state because of his towering credentials.

For some of us in Kebbi state, we know his strength and passion for the state. You can’t question his passion for the development of the state. You can’t also ignore his tremendous support for the developmental strides in the state in recent times.

Even though he hasn’t come out to indicate interest, there is so much anxiety in the camp of politicians who view his entrance as a stumbling block to actualising their ambition because Abubakar Malami is well-loved across the state.

I can say authoritatively that there are moves to bring Abubakar Malami into the race. However, he hasn’t given any concrete assurance. But the feelers are indicative that he might succumb to the pressure.

I can also say that all those that have indicated an interest in the 2023 governorship race in Kebbi state, Abubakar Malami stands tall in the lot in terms of experience, commitment to the development of the state and acceptance by the electorate. His leadership style has been commended across the state, and he is viewed as a worthy ambassador of the state.

The likes of Senator Ademu Aliero must realize that the interest of Kebbi State must come first. And ordinarily, there should not be any doubt or resistance if Abubakar Malami indicates interest in governing the state unless he wants to tell us that there is another better candidate that the people of Kebbi state are not aware of.

Unless those against Abubakar Malami also want to feign ignorance to what he represents and what the state stands to benefit with him as governor. So to link him to the crisis in the APC in the state is outright character assassination. This does not augur well for our sensibilities, and it must be discontinued.

This is on the heels that his kind of politics is such that the people of Kebbi state yearn. We know what we stand to benefit in terms of inclusiveness and sustainable growth and development. This fact resonates across the state and why there has been tremendous pressure on him to indicate interest.

Going back to that online news, I think the news medium should undertake further research on the politics of Kebbi state. They should not rely on desk research; they should visit Kebbi state to feel the pulse of the eagerly expectant people for the day Abubakar Malami would indicate interest.

They would realize that such a famous personality cannot be imposed on the people, but rather gifted to the people. And suppose the governor tends to support Abubakar Malami to succeed him as governor. In that case, that is not an imposition, but rather a display of love for the people of Kebbi state because Kebbi would be in safe hands under an Abubakar Malami as governor.

For emphasis sake, I wish to reiterate that Abubakar Malami is by no means connected to the crisis in the APC in Kebbi State. As a fact, he has not been known to be meddlesome in the political process in the state. Maybe his offence might be that he is famous for his good deeds and commitment to the development of the state for several years, even before he was appointed Attorney General of the Federation.

We can’t count his numerous contributions to the state in his private capacity. And he did all of that not for any selfish reason but the mere fact that it is his nature to see Kebbi state progress for the benefit of the Kabawa people.

I must also advise all those that have taken to plots to discredit him in the papers to desist from such endeavours. Instead, they should join hands with all well-meaning Kebbi indigenes to continue pressuring him to indicate interest in governing the state.

There is no doubt that Abubakar Malami is a courageous man and one whose antecedent speaks volumes of service to humanity. And who would not be proud of such an individual whose impact has been felt across the state for several years without holding any political office.

It must not be a crime to be loved by your people. It should be a plus, and therefore no amount of smear campaign can succeed in turning the tide against him should he indicate interest in the Kebbi state governorship race.

At this point, his traducers must rest or change tactics. And not even resorting to using supposed credible news mediums in the country can change anything; after all, as they say, all politics is local. The Malami we know is for the interest of the state and never against the interest of the state. The supposed news medium must do well next time to verify the information at their disposal before going to press at the risk of losing its credibility entirely at the end of the day.

The Kabawas are waiting in earnest for that day when Abubakar Malami would accept their overtures.

Aliyu, a member of the APC , sent this article from Argungun, Kebbi State