by Isi Esene

The victory achieved by prospective corps members posted to troubled states and allowed to redeploy to any state of their choice appears to be short-lived. According to the Punch Newspapers, the Federal Government has overruled the National Youth Service Corps on the redeployment.

The FG, through the Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, insisted that corps members would be posted to Borno, Yobe and other troubled states.

He alleged that the recent complaints in respect of NYSC posting to some states in the North over insecurity was amplified by the media, adding that it was “stage-managed”.

He said: “The Federal Government noted with dismay the purported reaction of the so-called corps members to serve in some states as Batch ‘B’ who were agitating to be re-deployed to their choice state”.

His directive therefore supersedes that of the NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Nnamdi Okore-Affia who had earlier agreed to the redeployment of the NYSC members.

The DG, had last week directed corps members posted to Yobe to proceed to Nasarawa State, while those scheduled to have their orientation in Borno were directed to Benue State.

The minister argued that the issue of posting of corps members to states other than their states of origin was enshrined in the relevant laws establishing the scheme.

He explained that there has to be a change in the Constitution to be able to redeploy corps member other than on the grounds of health or marriage.

In his own submission, the FCT NYSC Coordinator, Frank Ekpunobi, said there has been no problem whatsoever at the Abuja orientation camp, adding that “the level of discipline has been quite impressive”.

“As a matter of fact, FCT orientation camp, like others, is a melting pot of abundant talents ready to contribute positively to the socio-economic development of Nigeria,” the coordinator said.

He said the camp discovered good comedians, dancers, actors and actresses, sports men and women.

We don’t see “corpers” jumping for joy at this sort of directive coming from the honourable minister.