The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has banned Benue State University and the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, from sending their students for the mandatory one-year national service.
DAILY POST gathered that the scheme placed a two-year ban on both schools following an alleged discovery of negligence and evidence of age manipulation.
However, in reaction, the Vice Chancellor of the Benue State University, Professor Moses Kembe, during a meeting with the Scheme pleaded for leniency.
Kembe had in the meeting which ended in a deadlock, maintained that the university management was not involved in age manipulation. He explained that the age limits were manipulated by the students themselves.
Kembe’s appeal was not taken as NYSC believes the only available option is to punish the universities allegedly involved in the act.
Findings by DAILY POST on Monday showed that graduates of the affected Universities were denied access to the NYSC registration portal.
One of the affected graduates, Issac Mbanefo, while calling on the scheme to lift the ban and punish only the culprits involved, told our correspondent that it was wrong for the NYSC to victimize innocent students for an offence committed by a few.
He said, ”How do you correct an offence by placing a ban on innocent students? What do you want them to do at home for two years? In a country where you cannot get a decent job without NYSC, do you expect our parents to continue feeding us?”
Another graduate, identified as Matthew Eboh said, ”Sometimes, I feel NYSC does not understand the plight of the common Nigerian. How logical is it to place a ban that will affect innocent students for two years? Why don’t they ban the suspected students instead of the whole school? I doubt if they thought of this decision.”
Also one Martha Prosper said, ”The ban is not right, some innocent ones might be above service age when the ban is suspended. NYSC should make their findings and punish the culprits alone.”
Below are some other comments DAILY POST gathered on the issue from Facebook.
Stephen Shasu, ”The NYSC is further exposing itself to ridicule with such a hasty and ill-informed decision. Someone or persons were responsible for that action and those to be affected by the ban were certainly unaware of the abnormality.”
Ter Lawrence, ”Its laziness on the part of the NYSC, it is their responsibility to verify age and probably investigate cases of falsification. Generalisation is not a good measure as innocent persons will definitely be the majority of those affected, especially considering the ages of most undergraduates.”
Ben Pever, ”On the NYSC Ban on BSU, the NYSC should limit its punishment to only the culprits. Why are they punishing the innocent majority for the offence of a few? The innocent students who are affected should not just keep quiet. Approach the courts for judicial review. Petition the National Assembly. The action of the NYSC Management is unacceptable and ought to be challenged.”
Vitalis Alabi, ”I never believed this news but if it happens that the news is true, then how can they punish the innocent students; forgery is an offence against the law; so if some students forged their age in order to go for NYSC, they should be arrested and prosecuted in the law court and if the authority is aware but didn’t fish out those responsible, they should also be arrested and prosecuted for abetting crime instead of punishing the whole students.”
Okworo sunnybase: I think this is political, they want to intimidate us in Benue, it is because of the anti-grazing law but we are not afraid. I think NANS should wade into this because NYSC have 101 ways of curbing any form of fraudulent practice and not punish everybody for one man’s sin.”
Ogwuba Onche: ”This is not the best measure. If anyone is caught let the person face the penalty instead of tying others down. In fact, Nigeria has a long way to go with this kind of funny law.”
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