NYSC to sanction 7 corps members in Nasarawa

NATIONAL Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Nasarawa State has recommended that disciplinary actions should be meted out to seven corps members posted to the state for committing various offences during their service year.

NYSC Coordinator in the state, Mrs Zainab Isah made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lafia during a state-supervised a low-key Passing out Parade (POP) for the 2017 Batch “B” Stream II corps members in Lafia, and other local government areas of the state.

Isah said the affected corps members would face punishment after final ratification by the Nasarawa State NYSC Governing Board.

She said that some of them faced the possibility of having their service year extended by various periods for contravening the NYSC bye-laws.

“Some corps members erred during the service year. We have seven corps members that have disciplinary cases.

“Some of them missed the monthly allowances because they embarked on unauthorised journeys and others left their places of primary assignment without permission among other offences.

“For those who absconded, the allowances they missed are what would be used to pay them as they served their punishment and the period of the extension depended on the gravity of the misconduct,’’ she said.

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The NYSC state coordinator said the decision to punish the erring corps members was based on the recommendation of the state NYSC Disciplinary Committee.

She added that it, however, had to be ratified by the NYSC governing board.

“We have a committee on corps discipline, comprising all Assistant Directors and all heads of branches in the secretariat.

“This body looks into the cases and invites the corps members concerned to defend themselves.

“At the end, a decision is taken strictly in accordance with our laws but the decision takes effect after the NYSC governing board has ratified it,’’ Isah said.

The coordinator advised the 524 corps members comprising 340 males and 184 females, who were passing out, to take advantage of the skills they acquired during their service year for self-employment.

She urged them to take advantage of the training to support themselves pending when a government job would come.

Isah thanked the state government for supporting NYSC and pleaded that corps members, who performed exceptionally and made significant impact in their primary assignments, should be absorbed in the state’s civil service.

She said that only three of the corps members that were passing out would be given awards for their exemplary service during the year.

The NYSC coordinator added that this would also need ratification from the NYSC governing board in the state.