The Nigerian Labour congress, NLC, has condemned the National Youth Service Commission, NYSC, for compelling corps members to pay N4, 000 online registration fees.
Recall that Mr Anthony Ani, the NYSC’s Director for Corps Mobilisation, had said on a radio programme that a N4,000 online registration fee will be paid by fresh graduates before they get their call up letters.
In a press statement released on Thursday, the union frowned at the policy of charging corps members before being registered for the compulsory one-year scheme, saying the process was being exploited by the NYSC as a money-making venture.
However, the union applauded the authorities of the NYSC for the online registration initiative which would save prospective corps members the pain and risk of travelling to their various institutions in order to get their call-up letters.
Peter Ozo-Eson, the NLC General Secretary in his statement condemned the proposed charges.
He said, “We certainly find it morally wrong for the authorities to turn this initiative into a money-making venture,”
“It is the more incongruent and unacceptable because it seems the authorities now want to take advantage of the weak and the vulnerable,” he said.
The NLC explained that as a general rule, any technology that seeks to increase the cost of production is not worth the effort.
“In the instance, we have reason to believe that the online registration initiative helps to reduce both administrative and bureaucratic costs which NYSC had borne all along. Embracing technology should reduce operating cost, time and wastage,” he added.
The NLC thereby called on the authorities of the NYSC to make a review on the policy of charging corps members N4, 000.
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