NEWS
Redeployment: NYSC Urges Corps Members to Report Corrupt Staff
Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, the Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has urged prospective and serving corps members to report any official of the scheme requesting financial compensation in exchange for redeployment.
Ibrahim made the call at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja, during the commencement of the nationwide registration for the 2021 Batch ‘C’ Stream I Orientation Course.
Ibrahim said that this is because all services rendered by the scheme for corps members are free.
The 2021 Batch ‘C’ Stream I registration for the orientation course will hold from Oct. 20 to Oct. 24, and the Swearing-in of registered corps members will take place on Oct.
26.Ibrahim, who was represented by Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, the NYSC Director, Press and Public Relations, said that no NYSC staff, camp official or collaborating agency has the right to request financial compensation from corps members in exchange for any service.
“The public service rule will be instituted against the NYSC staff if he or she is found to have demanded financial compensation from corps members because that is misconduct.
“I want to state categorically that the NYSC does not require or request money to effect the posting, concessional deployment or relocation of corps members.
“Everything given to corps members from the NYSC from their orientation to the end of their service is free.
“No NYSC staff, camp official or collaborating agency has the right to ask a corps member to pay for anything.”
Ibrahim therefore urged the corps members to report any misconduct by NYSC personnel and other camp officials to the camp director, camp commandant or the state coordinator in the states they have been posted.
He said that corps members can also report to resident officers on camp as they have been deployed to the camps from the headquarters and are not a staff of the state where the orientation is taking place.
Ibrahim assured that the scheme has implemented all strategies to ensure a hit-free orientation course.
“Prospective Corps Members (PCMs) and NYSC staff are aware of the COVID-19 rules and safety protocols.
“In addition, every PCM and camp official will be tested at the camp gate and only those who test negative will gain access into the camp.
“The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) officials are present in the 37 orientation camps nationwide.
“All camps have been fumigated and decontaminated in readiness to receive prospective corps members.
“There will be compulsory use of face masks, 2-meter social distancing, and other non-pharmaceutical interventions on safety protocols in all our camps,” he stated.
The director-general said that the hostel arrangements for PCMs have also been made in compliance with the COVID-19 safety protocols.
Ibrahim said that the scheme was maintaining a “staggered registration” for PCMs also in compliance with the safety protocols.
He explained that this form of registration requires PCMs to be registered in batches to avoid overcrowding at registration points.
“To ensure the safety of PCMs, our synergy with security agencies is still very effective.
“Effective liaison and discussion between me and the Department for State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Army (NA), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Police are always maintained,” according to him.
He said that all married, pregnant or nursing PCMs yet to be deployed to their husbands’ places of domicile can proceed to the NYSC camps within their spouses’ states of residence to register for orientation.
Ibrahim said, however, that this category of PCMs must be physically present for registration and must provide all supporting documents, including evidence of marriage, husbands’ identity and evidence of husbands’ place of domicile.
“This is a new policy that the scheme has put in place to ensure that it meets the needs of corps members at all times.
“Normally, when a prospective corps member uploads necessary documents during the mobilisation process that prove they are married, they are automatically posted to where their husbands reside.
“The NYSC is always introducing new policies to ensure it remains sensitive to the needs of corps members that is why this policy has come in place.
“If you are a married woman, and there is evidence you are married, there is evidence of your husband’s state of domicile, the policy now is that you go to the camp in that state with your documents and you will be registered, ” he said.
Ibrahim criticised reports from different quarters implying that some married women take advantage of the process, saying that the scheme does not work with any verbal statement but with only government-approved documents.
According to him, NYSC only works with the documents that the Nigerian government recognises that this is what certifies you as a married woman.
“So prospective corps members must present documents that certify their status and this is verified by the scheme before the process takes place.
“NYSC only works with documents approved by the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So if you are married, you only present documents recognised by the government; it is not a verbal discussion, it is official.”
Ibrahim assured of adequate security for corps members who will be posted as ad-hoc staff for the Anambra elections scheduled to take place in November 2021. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
Stakeholders have expressed concern over delay in the domestication of Disability Act in Benue state and called on government to expedite passage of the law in the state.
At the stakeholders’ consultative meeting to domesticate the disability law in the state held Tuesday in Makurdi in collaboration with Inclusive friends Association (IFA), Hope Alive for Possibilities Initiative (HAPI) and JONAPWD, the Director General, Bureau for International Cooperation and Development, Dr Leonard Viashima, represented by the Technical Adviser on Bureau for International Cooperation and Development, John Akuse, however said governor Alia’s administration was willing to domesticate the law in the state.
In his address, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Disability Affairs, Bem Anshe, who doubles as the chairman of JONAPWD, stressed the need for the domestication of the law in Benue, saying it would facilitate the inclusion of people with disability in governance.
Anshe decried the non-passage of the law in the state, lamenting that Benue was the only state in the North Central yet to domesticate it.
In her remarks, the Executive Director of IFA, Grace Jerry, represented by the Programme Manager of IFA, Stephen Idoko, noted that despite the challenges, she was confident that the forum would achieve its objective if all worked together.
She noted that the presence of stakeholders in the meeting reaffirmed the collective commitment to making a lasting impact on the lives of persons with disabilities in the state.
On her part, Prof. Christy Anyogo from IFA expressed hope that Benue would soon join the league of states that have domesticated the disability law, saying governor Hyacinth Alia never looks back on whatever he wants to do.
The consultative forum was attended by stakeholders from the state ministry of Women Affairs, ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, traditional rulers, religious leaders, social investment programme agency, Albinism association of Nigeria, leprosy survivors and spinal cord injury.
From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah has charged contractors and the site engineers handling construction of the 260 smart schools and 260 Type-2 Primary Health facilities in the 260 wards of the state on the delivery of world-class projects that would stand the test of time.
Governor Mbah enjoined them to deploy quality materials and build according to specifications, warning that any sharp practices would attract stiff sanctions and rejection by the government. He equally underscored the need for contractors to deliver their projects on schedule as stipulated in their terms of contract.The governor spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, during an inspection tour of ongoing projects in Ezeagu LGA on Wednesday.He said the purpose of the inspection by the project’s monitoring team, which also comprises the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr Gerald Otiji; Commissioner for Education, Prof Nwabueze Mbah; Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Hon. Chris Robert Ozongwu; Chairman of the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), Dr. Gabriel Ajah; Special Adviser to the Governor on Projects Development and Implementation, Uche Nwatu, among others, was to ensure the quality and integrity of the projects, from start to finish.”We met with the contractors and their site engineers in all the sites we’ve visited. This is to ensure that there is no variation in the work specification, and that the quality of the materials they are using, starting from the foundation to completion, could guarantee the integrity and structural tests of these projects.”What His Excellency is setting out to achieve here is to make sure that we did not run the three risks that we know that are eminent in every construction, considering that a time will come in Enugu State when we will have almost five hundred live projects – smart schools, primary healthcare facilities – in all the 260 wards, in addition to the roads constructions that are going on across the board. So, we are building a very strong monitoring team that will address the quality aspect of it.”We are also taking into consideration the cost risk that comes when the time risk begins to happen, because, once we miss the timeline, the next is that we begin to discuss variation. So, this team here is to ensure that all risks are evaluated and compliance is strictly adhered to.”We are also working on engaging with the local stakeholders to ensure the security of the process here. So, that will help us address issues around theft of materials we brought to the site. But more importantly is that at the end of each project there will be sustainability and that these stakeholders will take ownership of these schools and other projects in their communities.”So, it is not just about monitoring, but also about building on all the key facets that will make sure that these projects achieve the objectives to have smart children and smart teachers coming out of our local governments and a smart workforce for the state,” Prof Onyia stated.That’s why we have accommodation for them and we are also going to ensure that Enugu generally has a smart workforce. That’s why we are here”.He allayed the fears over the culture of abandoned projects by various strata of the government, saying that the allocation of 33 per cent of the entire 2024 budget to education has guaranteed the start, completions, and handover of the smart school projects on schedule.On his part, Chairman of ENSUBEB, Dr. Ajah, said they were happy with the quality of work so far, adding that contractors were complying with specifications and corrections were immediately effected wherever there were gaps.Admonishing communities to take ownership of the projects, he urged them to see the facilities as their own by ensuring the security of the projects.”Security is everybody’s business. The people are happy. The government has never come to the people at ward level like this before now. So, I am calling on our people to protect these projects from vandals by taking charge and ownership of them”, he concluded.
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
The Director-General, Benue State Education Quality Assurance Agency, BEQA, Dr. Terna Francis, on Thursday, said the administration of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia is at the verge of reviving the state foreign exchange programme that was abandoned by previous administrations.
Dr. Terna, who said the foreign exchange program that had provided Benue citizens with opportunity to study abroad in the past, was abandoned due to the inability of the government to pay three million naira for those who secured foreign scholarships. The DG who disclosed while speaking with journalists in his office in Makurdi, said he had already sent a memo to the State government to reintroduce the program in order to add value to the educational system in the state.”We want to revive the foreign exchange program which was stopped because of just 3 million naira. I have already made a memo to the State government to reintroduce the program.We have some of these people who have benefited from this foreign exchange programme presently working with the state government. Some of them are in government house working while others are in other MDAs working and adding value to what we are doing”,Dr. Terna maintained. He however expressed dismay over the poor quality of education system in the State, saying there is a big mess in the quality of teaching and learning in schools across the State. “It was for this reason that the Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia established this agency with the mandate to document, control and check the quality of learning in the basic and post basic education sector.”We met a mess in the education sector and we are now doing a clean up exercise . Several schools in the State have structural defects. People convert their two (2)bedroom flats into school.”The teachers are just secondary school leavers. Someone who just finished SS3 is giving a teaching job to teach SS3 physics.”Just imagine, a proprietor chokes students in a poultry farm. This is unacceptable and we are going to close the school down. Education is just for profiteering without quality.”We have been doing our best to clean up the mess. The agency is a bureau directly answerable to the Governor. Quality Assurance that means the department of Quality assurance in the Ministry of Education is directly under the agency.”It is a systemic thing. 32,000 is the fee for WAEC. But before now, the students were paying over 50,000 or more as WAEC fees.”We have called for recertification and gathering of data about quality of teachers and paying of annual renewal fees. We sent out our evaluators to confirm the data schools give to us.”I have visited over 300 schools in the State. We have warned school proprietors and proprietresses to put things in place or have their schools sealed. We are not compromising on standard and quality no matter who is involved. We are not backing down. We have the political backing.”It will amaze you to know that 2016 was the last time the examination board conducted BECE without issuing certificates.”You can imagine that a school in Makurdi is using the British curriculum and operating a semester kind of education. The students are made to pay 550,000 as fees.”We have tried to reduce bureaucracy in the establishment of schools before now, which takes up to a year, but now, it takes just a few months to get a provisional approval to establish a school.
Disability Act: Stakeholders Worry Over Delayed Domestication in Benue
ShareBy David Torough, Abuja Stakeholders have expressed concern over delay in the domestication of Disability Act in Benue state and...
Enugu Embarks on Inspection of Smart Schools, Healthcare Projects Across State
ShareFrom Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah has charged contractors and the site engineers handling construction of...
Benue Govt Abandoned Foreign Exchange Programme Due to N3mn Bursary – DG BEQA
ShareFrom Attah Ede, Makurdi The Director-General, Benue State Education Quality Assurance Agency, BEQA, Dr. Terna Francis, on Thursday, said the...
Tinubu Establishes National Education Data System
SharePresident Bola Tinubu has approved system-wide policies to comprehensively overhaul the education sector to improve learning and skill development, increase...
ADAS Programmes Set to Establish Digital Structure, Database for Farmers, Farmlands
ShareFrom Yagana Ali, Yola The Adamawa State Agribusiness Support Programme ADAS-P has concluded arrangements to establish standard & digital structure/database...
Absence of Diplomacy Responsible for Secessionist Agitations in Nigeria – INM
ShareFrom Marcel Duru, Owerri Igbo National Movement, a sociopolitical pressure group, has said that absence of diplomacy is responsible for...
N20m Bounty on Kidnappers: Wike Fulfills Promise to FCT Police Command
ShareBy Laide Akinboade, Abuja The Commissioner of Police, FCT, CP Benneth C. Igweh, expresses heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the...
Presidential Amnesty: Bank Accepts Responsibility for Stipends Delay
ShareFrom Mike Tayese, Yenagoa One of the Bank offering services to the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has explained the reason...
Enugu State Justice Reform Team Commends Mbah, Calls for Enhance Justice System
ShareFrom Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu The Enugu State Justice Reform Team (ESJRT) has commended the administration of Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah...
I Didn’t Abandon Mandate – LP Candidate
ShareFrom Marcel Duru, Owerri The Labour Party Candidate in the 2023 general elections for Mbaitoli-Ikeduru Federal Constituency, Rt Hon Uche...