The Director-General of National Youth Service Youth (NYSC), Brig-General Shuaibu Ibrahim, has been conferred with the Icon of Human Rights in Africa award.
The National Coordinator of Human Rights Writers’ Association (HURIWA), Mr Emmanuel Onwubiko, during the presentation of the award Thursday at the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, Abuja, described General Ibrahim as a charismatic, visionary and indefatigable leader who has achieved tremendously since assumption of duty as the 18th director-general of the NYSC.
He specifically commended him for his doggedness in sanitising the NYSC mobilisation process by preventing unqualified persons from participating in national service.
The coordinator added that NYSC, since inception, through its deployment policy, has been contributing immensely to the socio-economic development of the country.
He said the deployment of corps members outside their states of origin had broadened their horizon, eliminated tribal suspicions, while contributing to national integration and cohesion.
Onwubiko commended the federal government for providing enabling environment for the scheme to achieve its mandate.
He strongly condemned the call for the scrapping of the scheme, but called for more public support to enable the NYSC perform more for the public, as it consolidates on its achievements.
“NYSC is a pivotal initiative of the entire country, which has achieved a lot of milestones since inception, and Nigerians should support it.
“The scheme is a national heritage of our country that should be preserved for continuous integration of young graduates,” he said.
Onwobiko commended General Ibrahim for promoting intellectualism in the NYSC through literature and effective documentation of the its activities.
He appealed to the media to give a balanced reportage of the scheme’s activities and refrain from spreading fake news about its programmes.
In his response, Ibrahim said NYSC is a proactive agency that would continue to contribute its quota to national unity and integration, and commended the federal government for its continuous support to the scheme and Victims’ Support Fund for donating sixty-thousand anti-COVID-19 test kits for use during the just concluded 2021 Batch ‘A’ Stream Two Orientation course.
He said corps members are very neutral, knowledgeable, determined and patriotic set of young Nigerians, who are very active during national assignments like elections, community development activities, health campaigns, education and critical moments of national emergency.
Ibrahim urged members of the association to use their forum to sensitise Nigerians on peaceful co-existence and national unity.
“We are better when we stay together and NYSC stands for unity.”Let the spirit of the NYSC live in you. Let us turn our challenges to strength because there is strength in unity,” he said.
