War on drugs more deadly than insurgency, says Buhari by Stephen Angbulu

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has described Nigeria’s drug war as deadlier than the fight against insurgency and banditry and other threats to the stability of the country. Buhari said this on Saturday while launching the War Against Drug Abuse initiative by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in commemoration of the United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking themed, ‘Share Facts on Drugs. Save Lives’. As the Special Guest of Honour at the launch, the President urged the NDLEA to exert more effort to clear out criminal elements habiting the vast forests of the South-South and Southwest; from where they plan and execute their criminal attacks and also grow marijuana. Buhari was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha. He said, “I am directing the NDLEA to develop a robust risk communication and community engagement strategy that will not only disseminate the four pillars of the plan to responsible entities but also deal with destroying production sites and laboratories, break the supply chain, discourage drug use and prosecute offenders as well as traffickers, rehabilitate addicts and enforcement of relevant laws. “I want to particularly draw the attention of the agency to the fact that the use of many of our forests as criminal hideouts is because large swathes of cannabis plantations are hidden deep within those forests, especially in the Southwest and the South-South. “You may, therefore, need to drive these criminal elements from such hideouts because they use it for the growth of these plants and also as a repository for criminal elements to conclude and plan their adventures on our people. “On this United Nations anti-drug day, I call on all families, schools, civil society organisations, professional associations, religious organisations, the academia, community leaders and individuals to work for the common good to rid their communities of drug use and trafficking. “As your President, I will continue to address underlying causes of drug abuse, including poverty reduction, for which my pledge for lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years and strengthened by the recently developed National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy signposts my unwavering commitment. “Finally, I would like to appreciate our stakeholders and international collaborators, especially the European Union, and the United Nations Office for Drugs and Control, for their unwavering support to our drug control efforts, including the development of our roadmap. “Also appreciated are the members of the inter-ministerial committee on drug control, civil society organisations, the academia, for their contributions and efforts to our National Drug Control initiatives. “The war against drugs is a war that must be fought by all, it is, therefore, my pleasure, to declare on behalf of the good people of Nigeria, a War Against Drug Abuse, not just as a slogan, but a call for civil action for all Nigerians to take an active part in this war. “Let me say that this war is more deadly than the insurgency we have in the Northeastern part of the country or the acts of banditry in the Northwest or the acts of kidnapping that transcends all the geopolitical zones of this country, because it is a war that is destroying three generations because I’ve seen clips of where grandparents are on drugs, parents are on drugs, and by extension, their wards, their children are on drugs. “So, this is a war that is targeting three generations in a stretch. So it is more deadly than even the security challenges that we are having in this country and I believe strongly that every effort must be put in place to ensure that we deal with the issues of substance abuse and trafficking and manufacture so that we can get to the root cause as ably elucidated by our keynote speaker this afternoon, of the mirage of insecurity problems that are confronting this nation and I believe strongly, with every bit of conviction, that if we can deal with the issues of drug abuse, substantial, our security challenges will drastically reduce as we walk towards a drug-free, Nigeria.” He, therefore, called on all Nigerians from every sphere of life; including traditional institutions, religious leaders and local leaders to be vigilant and to support the war against drugs that has been declared on June 26 2021.

We’re removing corrupt officers from roads —NPA boss Kariola Mustapha

The acting Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr Muhammed Bello-Koko, has said the agency has relocated some of its employees who have constituted to the corrupt practices on the Apapa Port access road. He also said that grave punitive measures awaited those who were found guilty. Bello-Koko said this at the statehouse in Marina during a visit to Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu. After the event, a statement which was issued and signed by the General Manager Corporate and Strategic Communications, NPA, Olaseni Alakija. The statement said, “The management of Nigerian Ports Authority led by its acting Managing Director, Mr Muhammed Bello-Koko, on Saturday met with the executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu to adopt stronger measures to curb corrupt practices and alleged extortion of truck drivers by traffic and security operatives along the Lagos Ports corridor.” The statement added that the acting managing director stressed the need to strengthen enforcement of traffic laws along the Apapa and Tin Can Ports roads. He said, “The NPA has been inundated with complaints of extortions from truckers, especially by security operatives, including the military, the Police, and NPA security, demanding money from drivers before accessing the Ports.” He described the ugly practice as a major disincentive to the smooth implementation of the truck call-up system. At the meeting, Bello-Koko disclosed that it had been said that no less than 30 toll-points had sprung up around the Apapa and Tin Can Port, where bribes were collected before trucks were allowed into the Port. He then added, he said, “We at the NPA have resolved to take the right punitive measures against any of our staff involved in this, we have moved some of them out of Port locations, and we will do further reviews, whoever is found involved, would be appropriately sanctioned.” PUNCH.

Reps invite Amaechi over NPA’s unaccounted N166.9bn by Leke Baiyewu

The House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Accounts has invited the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority to explain the revenues accrued to the agency totalling N166.69bn as of December 31, 2016, which were not properly captured in its statement of account. The committee is asking the minister and the NPA to explain the cost of services rendered to the Authority amounting to about N103.99bn, which was made up of channels and waterways maintenance at N65.130bn as well as ports and quays expenses amounting to N38.41bn. The officials had been invited to especially respond to queries issued by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation on the financial statements of the NPA in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Amaechi and the leadership of the NPA were to appear before the committee on Thursday. However, journalists were informed that the investigative hearing had been shifted to July 8, 2021, following a communication received from the invitees. The Auditor-General of the Federation, Adolphus Aghughu, in an audit report, a copy of which our correspondent obtained on Thursday, stated the respective income from each of the services, scheduled oil terminal dues, details of pilotage and service boats and the nature of rentals services offered and rates applied. The report stated that examination of the accounts revealed that the channels and waterways maintenance rose from N44.43bn in 2015 to N64.13bn in 2016, an increase of over N20bn. The NPA was said to have incurred about N38.41bn as service charge on the Ports and Quays. The office, therefore, asked the NPA management to provide details of how these charges were incurred and what it meant by the term ‘others’ on which about N4.7bn was spent. Furthermore, the auditor-general said an examination of the accounts of the NPA showed that Intels Integrated Services Limited was overpaid commission to the tune of N2.1bn. Amaechi and the NPA are to also explain what happened to the dividend income of N643.01m received from their Joint Venture partners as well as interest income of about N97.8m and N28.7m being interest from bank deposits and interest on loans and receivables. Other queries issued against the NPA included administrative expenses of N61bn, which included professional charges of N638m; donation and subscription of N1.88bn; exchange loss of N7.3bn; defined benefit expenses of N11.4bn; and director’s remuneration of N4.2m. The office also identified what it called ‘understatement of depreciation charges’ to the tune of N6.4bn, stating that ‘the provision made against eight classes of property amounted to N4.47bn as against N10.89m arrived at during vetting’. Copyright PUNCH.

Auditor-General queries multibillion-naira irregularities in NPA accounts by Leke Baiyewu

The Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation has issued seven queries on the audited accounts of the Nigerian Ports Authority in 2017. The queries include standalone financial statements, non-current assets (depreciation, addition to fixed assets, property, plant and equipment, and interest in joint ventures), current assets (cash and cash equivalent, trapped fund in Enterprise Bank, inventories, trade receivables, etc.), liabilities, statement of profit and loss, and other comprehensive income, expenditures and administrative expenses. The Auditor General, Adolphus Aghughu, in an audit report sent to the National Assembly, dated May 24, 2021, a copy of which journalists obtained on Friday, demanded explanation from the management of the NPA on its audited accounts, which he said was submitted to his office on February 22, 2019 for comment, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution. The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts invited the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the management of NPA to appear before it on July 8, 2021 over the queries. Speaking on the N65.763bn spent on fixed assets, Aghughu said the NPA management should furnish the analysis of the assets acquired during the year, showing suppliers, evidence of ownership, gross amounts, outstanding amounts (if any), taxes deducted and remitted to the relevant tax authority and the current status of the assets. Also on property, plant and equipment, on which N390.581bn was spent, the Auditor General said, “The carrying amount of the property, plant and equipment and properties on lease were qualified in the auditor’s independent report, because they were unable to obtain sufficient and appropriate audit evidence to confirm the completeness, existence and valuation of the carrying amounts. “In view of the above, the management is required to provide the schedules of movable assets purchased by the concessionaires per the various lease agreement and furnish the list of assets in use and projects in progress acquired or being executed by the concessionaires for the authority under the ports development programmes of the lease agreements for audit scrutiny.” The NPA is also expected to provide “sufficient records, backed up with a detailed fixed asset register to support the existence, completeness and carrying amounts of property, plant and equipment, as well as properties on lease,” while Aghughu further asked the management to “provide an updated non-current assets register showing the dates of purchase, location of assets and amount depreciated to date.” The management is also to provide a list of property, plant and equipment transferred to Continental Shipyards Limited at inception as part of the NPA’s capital contribution and furnish the list of various assets, including buildings disposed by the authority in the last three years. Aghughu further demanded a schedule of bank balances showing the names and locations of the banks at which cash and cash equivalent from current assets of the authority are maintained, the individual account balances and the respective comparative figures. The office further asked for a “detailed list of the subsidiaries and the bank balances resulting in the observed total difference of N168,458,000 in the bank balances within and outside Nigeria between the group and the authority, which represent the balances of the subsidiaries. “Cogent reasons why the accounts were garnishee by the law court and detailed efforts towards setting aside the order as shown in the table below being cash and cash equivalent under garnishee order by the law court.” The office also reported that funds amounting to about $3.231m may have been trapped in Enterprise Bank as the report from the NPA management showed that “there was no movement in Enterprise Bank account with Number 6003605768 during the year.” It added, “The balance has not changed from $3,231,677.45 for more than two financial years,” asking the management to provide the current status of this bank balance. The Auditor General also queried the status of the Staff Home Ownership Scheme as well as the N1.5bn deposited as initial takeoff fund with Aso Savings and Loans Plc, which Aghughu said served as an agent for the creation of mortgages and the subsequent collections of repayments on the same mortgages, adding that the NPA later severed relationship with the bank, following the Federal Government directive on Treasury Single Account implementation in 2015. The office said an audit examination showed that the NPA made an advance payment of about N4.479bn to contractors and demanded that the name of the individual contractor, nature of the contract, age analysis of each of the contracts and reasons for not sanctioning in line with the Financial Regulation 3104(1). The Auditor General also demanded explanation from the NPA on the current status of about N2.334bn received from shipping companies in 2013 as tracking fees, which was deposited with First City Monument Bank and was supposed to have been transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2017. Speaking on circularisation of the management letter with terminal operators, the office said, “According to the Management Report, Page 37, Paragraph 5.3.1, seven terminal operators’ circularised two responses were received, while others had yet to reply.” Aghughu noted that while one of the terminal operators quoted an indebtedness of $513,150.51, the NPA records were reading $4,485,981.52, showing a difference of $3,972,831.01. He added that while the second operator, ABTL, quoted $619,372.99, the NPA records showed $2,383,675.24 variance, with a difference of $1,764,302.25. The NPA also queried “trade and other payable” on which N116,674,099,000 was spent, demanding the name of the creditors, services rendered, comparative figures as well as a breakdown of the Value Added Tax and Withholding Tax, stating the reasons the remittances amounting to about N35,317,209,000 were not made to the relevant tax authority. Apart from a revenue of N239.480bn reported, for which the office is demanding a breakdown into their various components for audit scrutiny, Aghughu also queried under-remittance of operating surplus by the authority in 2017. He said, “It was observed on Page 15 of the Financial Statements that the operating surplus for the year 2017 was N76,782,268,000 and N42,414,819,000 was appropriated for the year. However, during vetting, it was discovered that the sum of N61,425,814,400 should have been the appropriate operating surplus to be transferred to Consolidated Revenue Fund using 80 per cent as a basis, hence an under remittance amounting to ₦19,010,995,000 be remitted without further delay.” The Auditor General also demanded explanation from the NPA on how the sum of N116.680m was expended, budgetary provision and evidence of the work done. Aghughu also queried what he called excessive increase in administrative expenses, with insurance and licenses increasing from N1.182bn in 2016 to N3.809bn in 2017, an increase by about 222.1 per cent, while professional charges rose from N638.482m in 2016 to N7.208bn in 2017, representing 1,029 per cent. Similarly, cost for repairs and maintenance increased from N209.044m in 2016 to N1.039bn in 2017, an increase of 397.3 per cent, while Oslo rebates stood at N6.409bn in 2017. The Auditor General is also asking the NPA to provide the list of items insured, insurance policies, budgetary provisions and reasons for the escalation of the cost in 2017 by 222.1 per cent for audit scrutiny, provide the nature of the professional services, names and addresses of the professional firms, report of professional services rendered, which led to professional charges increased to N7,208,021,000 in 2017 from N638,482,000 in 2016. Aghughu also wants the management to explain with breakdown, the increase in repairs and maintenance in 2017 to N1,039,505,000, from N209,044,000 in 2016, giving a difference of N830,461,000 (percentage increase of 397.3) and also provide the list of vessels that applied and granted Oslo rebates of N6,409,886,000 with relevant supporting documents. PUNCH.

JUST IN: NAF dismisses report of terrorists attack at Kaduna base By Okodili Ndidi

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has said its Base in Kaduna was never attacked by terrorists, contrary to the social media reports. In a statement, the Director Public Relations and Information Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the speculation was the handiwork of merchants of fake news. He said occupants of the Base are going about their normal businesses. According to the statement, “merchants of fake news are at it again. This time around, their focus is on the premier Nigerian Air Force Base at Kaduna, which they claimed came under terrorist attack in the early hours of today, 26 June 2021. “Members of the public should please disregard the news as it is entirely false. There was nothing of such as the inhabitants of the entire Base are going about their normal activities and duties without any threat whatsoever.”

APC begins search for consensus national chairman by John Alechenu

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress have begun a search for a consensus candidate for the position of National Chairman, Saturday PUNCH has learnt. It was gathered in Abuja, on Friday, that members of the party leadership and some stakeholders agreed to commence the search in order to keep the “tradition of smooth leadership transition.” The party source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media on the issue said, “The meeting was essentially to enable the president to receive the report of the national caretaker committee and for us to approve an extension for them. “The committee chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni, gave a comprehensive report and made recommendations which the president received and the whole house approved. “Since the formation of the party, our national chairmen have always emerged by consensus. This to a large extent reduced acrimony and we intend to keep it that way. “The issue of zoning is also being looked at. I can assure you that we will cross the bridge when we get there. For now, the Anambra governorship primary and winning the election is paramount for us.” Multiple party sources confirm to Saturday PUNCH that the race for the position of national chairman is being zeroed down to contestants from the North-East and the North-Central. Former Nasarawa State Governors Abdullahi Adamu and Tanko Al-Makura are the leading contenders from the North-Central, while a former Federal Capital Territory Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Sunny Moniedafe from Adamawa State, and former Borno State Governor, Modu Sheriff, represent the North-East. Earlier, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), after receiving the Governor Buni report, approved the timetable for the conduct of Ward, Local Government and State congresses. This development was confirmed in a statement titled, “President Buhari Approves Review of CECPC Timeline, Timetable for APC Congresses… Buni-Led CECPC Presents Progress Report To President…APC National Secretariat now Buhari House,” signed by the National Secretary, Senator John Akpanudoedehe. He said, “President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday approved the review of the timelines available to the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee. “The President granted the approval after detailed consideration of the Progress Report, the schedule of outstanding activities with regards to Congresses, the National Convention and the forthcoming Anambra Governorship election. “The President also approved the timetable for APC Ward, Local Government and State Congresses. Ward Congresses will hold 24th July 2021 followed by Local Government Congresses on 14th August 2021 and State Congresses on 18th September 2021.” Akpanudoedehe recalled that at its last meeting, the National Executive Committee of the party conferred on the CECPC the power of the National Convention which is in line with powers provided in Article 13.3 of the Party’s Constitution. He noted that the National Chairman had the president’s approval to review the timeline available to the CECPC. Recall that the Buni committee was set up on June 25, 2020 to act for an initial six months period following the dissolution of the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee after a protracted leadership crisis. The committee’s tenure was extended for another six months when the party’s NEC held a second emergency meeting in December of the same year. The second six-month extension expired at midnight on Friday. The APC statement read in part, “The Chairman was accompanied by other CECPC members, including H.E. Governor Isiaka Oyetola, H.E. Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, Sen. Ken Nnamani, Sen. Abubakar Yusuf, Hon. Akinyemi Olaide, Mrs Stella Oketete, Dr James Lulu, Chief David Lyon, Abba Ali, Prof. Tahir Mamman, Barr. Ismail Ahmed and the CECPC National Secretary, Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe. “By the approved CECPC decision, the tenure of the caretaker committees at each level from Ward, Local Government, State and National will end immediately elections are held at their respective levels and its officers immediately take oath of office terminating with the National Convention.” The statement quoted Buni as telling Buhari, “Your Excellency, with your excellent leadership roles for the party, we are witnessing high-powered defections including serving governors from the PDP to our great party. “It is also interesting that the fortune of the party in the last year has greatly improved across the country, and especially in the South-East, which has been the stronghold of the opposition. “I am pleased to state that the party is now more peaceful, more accommodating, and more united with greater prospects than when we came on board.” The party secretary also said the party under Buni’s watch has made tremendous inroads in terms of strengthening the party across the nation. He again quoted Buni as saying, “It is with a sense of satisfaction that I submit to Your Excellency that the exercise was successfully executed with a record of over 40 million members who either registered as new members or revalidated their membership with the party.” The party leadership also informed the president of the setting up of various committees to handle specific assignments aimed at ensuring that no stone was left unturned in assuring that the APC remained the party of choice in coming elections. On the forthcoming Anambra Governorship Election, the CECPC informed the President that 14 aspirants had purchased the expression of interest and nomination forms to participate in the poll and that all had been cleared by the Screening Committee as eligible to participate in the party primary today, June 26, 2021. Governor Buni also informed the President that the party has approved the renaming of the APC National Secretariat, the “BUHARI HOUSE.” When contacted, the Spokesperson of the Concerned APC Members, Abdullahi Dauda said, “This timetable is incomplete. All we are asking for is where is the timetable for the national convention? Until this issue is addressed, we are sorry, nothing has changed.” PUNCH.

Workplace abuse: How we ran ridiculous errands during service year –Ex-corpers by Percy Ani

Percy Ani writes on the absurd errands corps members were sent by bosses at their places of primary assignment during their one-year mandatory service Many Nigerian graduates mobilised for the one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps often look forward to their postings with euphoria laced with anxiety. This is because they get to explore states they have never been to and meet graduates from other institutions who they could build lasting friendships with. So it was for a graduate of the Delta State University, Abraka, Chioma Obi, when in 2018 she checked the online portal of the NYSC and discovered she had been deployed to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for the compulsory one-year scheme. She was filled with joy. Obi told our correspondent that her elation was hinged with the belief that Abuja brims with limitless opportunities. She added that after the three-week orientation at the Abuja NYSC camp, she was posted to a Federal Government parastatal. She noted that the posting appeared as a feat in itself and seemed too good to be true for her. Obi stated that she felt that her efforts to leave school with good grades were being rewarded and silent prayers were answered. According to her, where she was posted to is an organisation relevant to the course she studied in the university. The NYSC noted on its website that the scheme was created to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the 30-month civil war which began in 1967 and ended in 1970. “The unfortunate antecedents in our national history gave impetus to the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps by decree No.24 of May 22, 1973, which stated that the NYSC is being established “with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youth of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity.” However, some corps members had noted that after the three-week orientation camp and posting to places of primary assignment otherwise called PPA, their superiors sent them on ridiculous errands instead of them learning skills pertaining to their courses of study. The corpers are expected to be at their PPA for a year and exhibit selfless service to their country. They are expected to work full-time at their PPA with the exception of one day committed to community development service. Chioma told our correspondent that things didn’t go as she expected during her first day at work. She said, “The Human Resources department told me that my department of choice currently had no vacancy, so she would have to deploy me to another department – the archives department. I accepted to work in another department since there was no other choice for me. I took the offer because I reckoned I was still lucky to be in such a prestigious federal institution and many desired to work there. Besides, I already prepared my mind to learn something new. “On getting to the new department, I was well welcomed and everyone there seemed overly nice. In fact, on my first day, there was nothing assigned to me to do. I spent the entire day observing things in the department while also daydreaming of the things I would learn and improve myself at the organisation.’’ Chioma said that the dreams were punctured the next day, adding that her days of fantasy were short-lived to her surprise. She stated that the next day she was asked by the head of her department to follow another intern to buy him groundnuts. She stated, “The HoD told me that it was for me to know the place for I would go alone to buy it next time for him. I thought we would buy the groundnuts at a shop nearby, but to my surprise, we trekked a considerable distance. As if that was not enough punishment, the hawkers were not yet at the spot the intern usually waited to buy from them. We had to wait by the side of the road with no shelter under a scorching mid-day sun in Abuja to buy N200 groundnut.’’ She added that when she complained to the intern about the stress of walking to the place to buy groundnuts in a hot sun for the head of the department, he only laughed and told her it was the beginning for her because his internship ended in a few weeks. According to her, the intern noted that the department would need someone to fill the gap his departure would create and they would prefer a female. Chioma said that to her surprise, when the intern left, the head of the HR department told her she would be retained at her current station to replace the departing intern. She stated, “And that was how my journey into becoming a sales representative and errand girl in an archives department in a federal parastatal began. Another senior official in the department also sold drinks to the other staff members. She would bring them to the office and refrigerate them for sale. The woman asked me to sell the drinks to those who come to the office to buy them. At first, I didn’t consider it a big deal, but eventually, it became something worse. “First people started making telephone calls to bring packs of drinks to them on the third and fourth floors of the office building. Some would even ask me to bring the drinks to their cars. I almost forgot that I was a corps member that was posted there to work and learn. Instead, I was preoccupied with selling drinks to staff members. I was always tired at work even as early as 10am.” Chioma said things got to a head when everyone at the office started associating her with the selling of soft drinks. She said, “The day I decided I had had enough was when I was passing through a department at the office and someone called me the ‘drinks girl.’ I decided to do something about my job description. Eventually, after a few months of running errands as a ‘sales girl,’ I found ways to interact with staff members in my initial department of choice. Luckily for me, the head of the department observed my potential and asked that I should be transferred to his department. I was lucky to have been noticed by the head of that department, otherwise, I probably would have spent the whole year running errands and selling drinks to staff members.” Errand ‘boys, girls’ The ex-corpers, who requested pseudonyms for identification, also refused to disclose the names of where the NYSC deployed to for PPA during the one-year mandatory service. Another ex-corper, Dayo Olawale, said she recalled her time in service with so much anger considering how helpless she felt all through the one-year service. She said in 2016 she was posted to Lagos state for the NYSC and her place of primary assignment was an advertising firm. Olawale added that it was an ideal place for her since she was a graduate of mass communication. The graduate of the Lagos State University, said, “I didn’t know there was another thing in stock for me. Trouble started when one of the directors in the office started making advances at me and when I refused him, he turned hostile and started making life difficult for me. From the day he knew he could not have his way, he would send me on errands that were naturally handled by the cleaners and others in the office. There were days he would even order me to go to the Laundromat to pick up his laundry. Other times, he would ask me to mop his office just to exert his power over me.’’ Olawale said eventually when it was time to retain some corpers at the firm she was dropped. She stated, “Even with all the insulting errands I had put up with just to earn a place there, I wasn’t retained. It was so bad that some corps members who were not half as smart as I am were retained.” For Ifeanyi Egbo, being posted to one of the top radio stations in Lagos State as corps member in 2017 gladdened his heart. Egbo, who studied Theatre Arts at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, noted that at the time he felt that his dreams of getting the requisite experience and connections to become an on-air personality were about to be realised. He stated, “But the happy times I envisaged to experience at the radio station were aborted. From my first day at the office, I was sent on an errand to buy food for some staff members. After one week of running various debasing errands for many of the members of staff every day, I was forced to ask the HR department if my job description was only to run errands.’’ He said to his dismay, the head of HR told him he had to get used to working that way for he was not the only one who had experienced that. “The lady told me other corps members had put up with running errands at the radio station and I had to do the same too. But if I could not handle the stress, she would gladly sign a letter so I could be reassigned to some other place,’’ he said. A graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Tola Ikehide, also had a funny experience at her place of primary assignment in 2018. Ikehide who was posted to a secondary school in Ogun State to teach Biology, said she was surprisingly told that her task not only included teaching the students Biology but also running some errands for staff members. She said she learnt that some of her daily tasks included helping some teachers make school runs to pick their kids from school. Other times, she added that she was sent to the market to buy foodstuff for the teachers when they wanted to cook. Ikehide said trouble started when a pregnant teacher asked her to cook for her, adding that when she refused, the teacher made so much fuss about it leading to an exchange of words. She further stated that when she complained to the school principal concerning the issue his response saddened her. The ex-corper said, “The principal said to me thus: The problem with young people these days is that they complain at the slightest sign of physical labour and act like they are carrying the weight of the world.” She stated that after the statement, she resolved to bear whatever came her way during the service year and leave immediately after she completed her service. Like Ikehide, Boma Peters, ran into trouble at her place of primary assignment because she refused to cook for a teacher in the school where she served. The graduate of the Rivers State University of Technology said she was posted to a private secondary school in Lagos State in 2017 and was enjoying the experience of teaching young students English. She said everything was going smoothly for her in the school until one of the teachers started asking her to run some errands for her. Peters added, “At first, they were minor errands- ‘help me buy a bottle of coke or help me buy food down the street.’ Then one day, she asked me to prepare moimoi for her. When I refused, she got angry and told me that I was rude and poorly raised and that she would deal with me.” She said to her surprise, instead of the other staff members calling the teacher to order, they scolded her for being lazy and advised her to do better next time. “Eventually, to avoid any problems during my service year, I agreed to cook for her. I was turned into a cook for some of the teachers during the remainder of my time there,” Peters stated. When Bidemi Eniafe graduated from the University of Lagos in 2015, he envisaged that the one-year of the scheme would be a period to learn and improve on himself while gaining valuable work experience. However, he said to his surprise, it turned out to be one of the worst periods of his adult life. Eniafe said he was posted to a state government parastatal in Kogi State and assigned to the administrative department. He said, “I believed I would be carrying out real administrative tasks, but as it turned out, all the administration they needed from me was to run errands.” He said every day he was sent on various errands by the staff members that kept him busy and on his feet all day. He added, “At some point, I started believing that the sole reason they wanted corps members at the parastatal was to send them on errands because I was sent on every errand within and outside the office premises almost on a daily basis -I was the photocopier boy, the lunch boy for everyone at the office and also the one who washed the dirty dishes afterwards. After my service year, I left quickly because I spent 11 months learning nothing significant. It was a sad time for me.” Move to scrap the scheme A member of the House of Representatives representing Andoni/Opobo/Nkoro constituency, Rivers State, Awaji-Inombek Abiante, proposed a bill for the discontinuation of the NYSC. One of the reasons Abiante gave for sponsoring the bill was that public and private agencies/departments no longer recruit qualified Nigerian youths. He added that they now rely on the availability of corps members who are not well remunerated and disengaged at the end of their service year without any hope of being gainfully employed. Egbo stated that it was sad that corpers were made to run errands at their places of primary assignment. He stated, “It is left to see how far the bill will go- whether it will eventually be thrown out or be passed into law.’’ On her part, Peters said that the NYSC still had diverse uses in the country, noting that some areas needed to be looked into such as the exploitation of corpers by benefitting institutions. She added, “Maybe the NYSC can set up a means of punishing organisations who use corps members for tasks other than what they were posted there for.’’ Academics’ views Commenting on the development, a Professor at the Faculty of Education, Department of Community Development/Community Education at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Isaac Abiona, said when someone was supposed to work in a place and perform certain tasks but denied the opportunity of doing that, it usually had psychological effects on them later in life. Abiona said, “It has many other implications – boredom, lack of job satisfaction.’’ The lecturer who is also the institution’s Dean of Students’ Affairs, added that knowing the effect of redundancy on the mind, the university’s administration made sure that all corps members working with them were fully engaged. He said, “We ensure that all corps members sent to us are fully engaged and not made redundant.’’ In his comment, a lecturer in the Department of Commercial and Property Law, Delta State University, Abraka, Dr Edward Okumagba, said that many corps members were not well utilised in their places of primary assignment because they worked their way to private firms. He noted that corps members didn’t suffer any redundancy, especially the ones who serve in government parastatals. Okumagba stated, “The problem is that some corps members during their service year worked their way to certain private organisations and when they start sending them on errands in those places, they begin to complain. I find it ridiculous that many corps members start what they obviously cannot finish by lobbying their way into certain private firms and then turn around to complain about how they are being mistreated.’’ Efforts to get the reaction of the NYSC through the Director, Press and Public Relations, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, were not successful for she neither picked calls nor replied to a text message sent to her mobile. When contacted, the NYSC coordinator for Lagos State, Eddy Megwa, said that the management of the NYSC usually conducted a careful and critical examination of every organisation before posting corps members there. He added that the corps conducts a routine check on the organisations to ensure they were imparting valuable skills to the corps members posted to the firms. Megwa said, “The reason the NYSC has local government inspectors and zonal inspectors usually visit corps members in their places of primary assignment to inquire on their welfare and ascertain whether they are doing the jobs that they should. All their complaints are recorded and addressed immediately.” He explained further that whenever corps members complained about their places of primary assignment, they would be immediately re-posted to other organisations where they would be properly utilised to learn and grow. The NYSC coordinator stated, “When corps members call our attention to any form of underutilisation or mistreatment, we first carry out an investigation and if we find the complaint to be true, we send the corper to a new place for their primary assignment and afterwards, we blacklist organisations found wanting.” PUNCH.