The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) needs to be reformed right away in order to institutionalize a public-private partnership in the organization’s management, according to Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The current methodology and structure of the NYSC are unsustainable given the current situation of the nation’s finances, Governor Adeleke stated upon welcoming Brigadier General Yushau Dogara Ahmed, the organization’s director general, to his office.
The governor referred to the NYSC as a “gem for the Nigerian state” and called for reforms to be implemented either via federal instrument of change or by reviewing the enabling statute in order to increase the private sector.
“ The present structure appears unsustainable considering the state of the national economy. We need to restructure the service to reduce the burden of financing on the public sector.
“We can deepen public private partnership. We can enhance state government participation. We can make it truly a federalised service to bring regional innovations. We must think out of the box”, the Governor stated.
As he continued, “the NYSC is a platform that has helped to produce Nigerians who truly see themselves as patriots.” He stated that Osun State is particularly interested in the NYSC because we believe it to be the strongest tool to build national unity and progress.
“It is our faith in the potency of the NYSC that motivated our administration to support the operations of the service in Osun state. We have backed the service through upgrades of her facilities and orientation camp.
“We are still committed to do more because the service provides invaluable service to the state and the federation”, the Governor promised.
Earlier, the governor was informed by the head of the NYSC, Brigadier General Ahmed, that he was in Osun to assess how the service was run and to make a specific request to the state government.
Ahmed, a former corp member in Osun State, urged the state government to help the NYSC in its efforts to establish a state secretariat and praised the state government for providing financial and logistical support for the service.
Along with governmental funding for the expansion of orientation facilities, he also wants a state committee to be established.