The African Democratic Congress has called for a one-year suspension of the National Youth Service Corps scheme, saying the Federal Government needs to urgently overhaul the programme and improve security for corps members.
The call was made by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday.
Abdullahi said the NYSC remained important to national integration but argued that the worsening security situation had made an immediate review of the scheme necessary.
He said temporarily suspending the programme would give the government time to restructure it and put stronger protection measures in place for young Nigerians participating in the scheme.
According to him, the objectives for which the NYSC was established after the 1973 Civil War remain relevant, particularly its role in promoting national unity.
But he stressed that the government must also recognise that the security realities confronting Nigerians today were different from those of previous decades.
Abdullahi said, “I think the NYSC is still relevant. But I think we need to respond to the current situation of insecurity in the country.”
He also accused the Federal Government of failing to adequately prepare and equip security personnel to confront the growing threat of kidnapping.
The ADC spokesman questioned how abductors could successfully target prospective corps members in an area reportedly considered vulnerable to attacks.
He said the scale of the abduction suggested that the kidnappers may have had access to information and operated without being effectively intercepted by security agencies.
Abdullahi also faulted President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the security crisis, arguing that the President should address shortcomings within the country’s security architecture rather than shift responsibility to security agencies.
On the President’s Independence Day broadcast, he alleged that the security crisis received inadequate attention.
He said, “The President made a single reference to the security situation in the country—not even one word.”
The ADC spokesman further accused Tinubu of paying greater attention to his 2027 re-election bid than to Nigerians being held by kidnappers.
He alleged that the President’s address was largely focused on presenting his administration’s achievements and seeking continued public support ahead of the next election.
Abdullahi said the safety and rescue of citizens in captivity should take priority over political considerations.
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