I will not scrap NYSC, says Jonathan

By McPhilips Nwachukwu & Ogbonna Amadi
LAGOS — President Goodluck Jonathan said, Tuesday, in Lagos that the Federal Government has no intention to scrap the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, programme initiated in 1970, but would rather review it to meet more progressive needs.

The President spoke at an occasion tagged: President Meets a Cross Section of the Youths organised as part of the Presidential inauguration ceremonies to usher in a new democratic government on May 29, 2011.

Cross section of Youths meet with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Eko Hotel in Victoria Island Lagos Tuesday.

Following the death of many serving corps members during the post election violence that erupted in some Northern parts of the country, many Nigerians, and especially aggrieved families and disaffected youths have called on Federal Government to scrap the programme.

As emotional as the call sounds, President Goodluck reasoned scrapping the programme was not in the best interest of the country since, according to him, it continues to fan the ambers of unity and love among the populace.

“I will not subscribe to the cancellation of the NYSC programme. But we will continue to encourage the reviewing of it to make it more practical and more effective for the over all development of the country,” he said.

Asked by some youths to ensure that country is given what should be seen as “a peoples’ constitution,” one capable of erasing fears of minority, religious violence and stablising the country permanently, Jonathan said it was not possible to introduce a new constitution for the country since the process involves a constitutional procedure.

According to him, “It is the Military that has the power to disband a country’s constitution without regards to any law and may be, at some point appoint a new constitution making body to draw up another one.”

However, Mr President assured Nigerians that just as Federal government amended some parts of the constitution before the election, that it will continue to amend the constitution when necessary in the light of the continued unity of the country.

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