We Spent Over N800million To Set Up The NYSC Online Registration System-nysc DG

The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Johnson Bamidele Olawumi, has appeared before a House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions investigative public hearing to answer questions on the four thousand Naira online registration fee being paid by prospective corps members. The NYSC was dragged to the House of Representatives by the Uzor Azubuike-led Say No Campaign civil society coalition which protested against the fee. While responding to the petition, Olawumi, who alluded to the poor welfare of the corp members, disclosed that the federal government has approved N500 as feeding allowance for each corp member per day. He also disclosed that over N800 million was required to setup the computer registration system the NYSC is presently using for its online registration. He explained that the fees will service a private sector-driven build, operate and transfer agreement. He said the registration equipment will be installed at NYSC offices nationwide. He said the process was approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement with a certificate of no objection. While noting that the N4,000 for the online registration is voluntary, he said rather than request for money to install the infrastructure, he would prefer to canvass for increment of the current N19,800 allowance being paid to prospective Corp members. In his presentation, Mr. Ezenwa Nwagwu of ‘Say No Campaign’ called for the “reversal of the proposed N4,000 fee payment and where payment has been made, a refund to the prospective Corp members.” Nwagwu stressed the need to “re-examine the laws establishing the NYSC that seems to have made the Director General of the Corp an exclusive preserve of serving military officers.” On September 30, federal lawmakers launched an inquest into the controversial N4,000 online registration fee and consequently urged NYSC to suspend the policy. Hon. Hassan Saleh (Benue/PDP) in lead debates on a motion moved on the matter described the NYSC policy as “insensitive and exploitative”. Read: www.leadership.ng/news/387950/fg-allocates-n500-daily-feeding-allowance-corp-members-nysc-dg