Banky W, the
Nigerian singer, has called on the federal government to make the National
Youth Service Corps (NYSC) optional for graduates.
In an interview with
Channels TV, the 41-year-old politician argued that there are several graduates
undergoing the scheme who are not interested in it.
Banky W said if made optional, government would be able to
save resources when graduates who are not interested withdraw from the
programme.
According to him, such resources can be used to facilitate innovation and equip youths with the skillset needed to thrive in the 21st century.
“At least half of the
young people who do NYSC might not need it. You have people that go for NYSC
and they just sign a paper somewhere and give somebody money, so that they say
they have it and then go off and do whatever,” he said.
“Is that programme really achieving what it was meant to? Or
can we consider doing it differently. Can we consider amending the constitution
so that we can say that this thing is no longer compulsory, it is optional?”
“When you do that, the people who don’t need it would not do
it, so you already saved resources. You can use that resources to give youths
the skillset that is useful in this century we’re in and not just say ‘we have
always done it like this. Come, stand, march, smile take selfie and then you
have served your country’. It’s not true.”
With his remark, the ‘Strong Thing’ crooner joins those
advocating for the reform of the scheme which was established in 1973.
Last year, the House of Representatives had considered
a bill seeking to scrap the
scheme.
But Shuaibu Ibrahim, NYSC director-general, dismissed arguments that the
scheme should be scrapped.
Ibrahim said the NYSC is crucial in the course of building a
united country.
Banky W recently declared his interest to represent Eti-Osa federal
constituency at the House of Representatives in 2023 on the platform of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In 2019, he had contested the same position under the Modern
Democratic Party (MDP) but lost to Babajide Obanikoro of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) at the polls.
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