Prospective corps members in two universities in Benue State, on Wednesday, staged a protest against the ban placed on the institutions by management of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.
The prospective corps members besieged the State Secretariat of the NYSC, calling for the body to reverse its decision.
NYSC had during the week banned Benue State University, BSU, 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.
The NYSC alleged that the affected institutions collaborated with the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to manipulate students’ age, thereby mobilizing over-aged students.
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.
However, addressing the aggrieved prospective corps members during the protest, the NYSC state coordinator, Mrs Eno maintained that she was not aware of the situation until Sunday.
She, however, promised to relate the information to the NYSC headquarters in Abuja.
“I really appreciate you all for choosing peace over violence. I was actually on my way for an assignment when I got a call that my children are here and they need my attention.
”Whatever question you brought here today, I assure you that it will get to our headquarter immediately and hopefully, it will yield positive results”.
Also speaking the UAM students union (SU) president, Mr David Pine while calling on NYSC to reverse its decision urged the school management not to jeopardizing the future of innocent students.
Pine said the protesters would close down the NYSC Orientation Camp at Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area of the state if the decision was not reversed.
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