NYSC reforms are long overdue – Oluremi Tinubu

Senator Oluremi Tinubu, a former first lady of Lagos State, rallied support for comprehensive and contemporary changes to the National Youth Service Corps on Wednesday.

Bola Tinubu’s wife said that the time was long overdue for such progressive reforms that would give the corps a robust outlook. Bola Tinubu is the presidential candidate for the All Progressives Congress.

At the second APC Professionals Forum Symposium in Abuja, Tinubu, who was represented by Asabe Bashir, Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development, made the call.

Only a day prior, a bill that sought to change the current Act to make the mandatory one-year national youth service for under-30 graduates optional was defeated in the House of Representatives.

The bill, which also attempted to increase the opportunities for NYSC participants to receive a Certificate of Exemption, was defeated on second reading due to strong opposition, particularly from Northern members of the House.

However, Tinubu’s wife revealed on Tuesday that she firmly thought the NYSC could be overhauled and restructured in order to reduce the bottlenecks related to graduates who struggle to find employment following service.

“We feel that a comprehensive, contemporary, and progressive reform of the National Youth Service Corps is long required,” she stated.

The Asiwaju government thinks that the NYSC may be reorganized in a way that will directly help the private sector and young people since it is the final conveyor belt of graduates from academic pursuits to practical employment issues.

This will be accomplished by aggressively supporting and rewarding company hiring and potential employee retention directly from the programme.

We will advocate for the establishment of business incubators (Innovation and Productivity Hubs). These facilities will foster, guide, and assist young innovators and inventors.

“We will make intellectual property registration and protection, including copyright, patent, and trademark protection, easier and more robust.”