A Lagos lawmaker, Mr Segun Olulade, on Sunday called on the Federal Government to accelerate review of the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC) to assess its usefulness or otherwise.
Olulade, Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Health Services, who made the call in a statement he signed, said that it had become imperative to hasten the review in present day realities.
The lawmaker, representing Epe Constituency II at the Assembly, said this while reacting in commemoration of the World Human Rights Day.
He lamented recent tragedies that occurred at three NYSC orientation camps.
According to him, there is no doubt that the ideology of the scheme is a good one in the beginning.
“It is not a bad idea to review it holistically and conclude whether it is still useful or not.
“As a parent, it is painful to see a promising youth lose his/or her life in deplorable circumstance as we are seeing today in our orientation camps across the nation.
“It is also not dignifying to see corps members being treated like refugees at the orientation camps all in the name of a service scheme as this contravenes fundamental human rights of the concerned youth.
“The scheme presently represents the attitude and character of a nation that has no respect for human lives and human dignity.
“It must be holistically reviewed and made better or scrapped if the Federal Government can no longer maintain a healthy scheme in this regard,” Olulade said.
According to lawmaker, many avoidable deaths of young people, especially in careless circumstances, will have been prevented had proper attention been given to the scheme.
He said that the scheme, which was primarily established after Nigeria’s civil war to foster unity in the nation, had outlived its purpose.
“The scheme, meant to encourage inter-cultural relations and patriotism to the fatherland no longer serves the purpose but rather has become a mere exercise and platform.
“On no account should a young person lose his or/her life for being a corps member, the scheme is no longer dignifying. Refugee camps are often better than orientation camps across the nation.’’
Olulade added that young people had rights that must be respected under all circumstances.
The lawmaker also expressed displeasure over the failure of the National Assembly to regard the matter as critical as it was.
“The issue surrounding NYSC scheme is more pressing than the separation of State/Local Government joint account at the National Assembly,” he added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that three corps members lost their lives recently during the 2016 Batch ‘B’ Orientation Programme in three states. (NAN)