Anger, Despair as NYSC posts graduates to crisis states in Northern Nigeria
- Details
- Category: Latest
- Published on Monday, 02 July 2012 10:55
- Written by Elombah.com
Anger, outrage and despair has greeted moves by NYSC to send graduates from southern part of the country to do their one year youth service in crisis prone Borno, Kaduna, Plateau, Yobe and other northern states hit by the Boko haram insurgency. According to Emeka Maduewesi, speaking on behalf of 'Concerned members of
Igboville': "It is heartless and insensitive to post Igbo and christian graduates to the North in disregard of the current security situation. We will hold the President and NYSC DG responsible for any of them that loses his/her life to Boko Haram and religious extremists. Redeploy them or suspend NYSC scheme. We are still mourning 11 corpers killed in April and others that have lost their lives to the current upheaval."
Concerned and angry members of the group has also created a facebook page to gather signatures to protest the idea. The Facebook group "Stop NYSC From Sacrificing Ndigbo On The Altar Of Nigeria's Unity", said in their mission statement:
"This is a movement to draw attention to the ongoin posting of graduates of Igbo extraction to unsafe Boko Haram infested Northern Nigeria. We call on the South East and South South governors to arrange service for our children in the Southern Nigeria.
"Last year many of our sons and daughters who were serving Nigeria under the NYSC program were killed due to election violence in Northern Nigeria. Now Boko Haram, whose three leaders have been declared international terrorists by the United States Government, have been unrelenting in bombing the Northern parts of Nigeria. We want to make it clear that we will no longer stand by and watch our future leaders being slaughtered.
"We are calling on calling on the President Goodluck E. Jonathan to intervene and rescind the posting. We are also calling on all the South East and South South governors with significant Igbo population to make arrangements for our children to serve within the two zones or the South West, but outside their home states. These are still parts of Nigeria and service therein is within the letter and spirit of the NYSC statute.
In an SOS message titled "Heartless NYSC", sent to elombah.com, a concerned southerner also said:
"Today 28th June 2012, I am extremely sad and disappointed after my friend received his Batch B (July) NYSC call up letter only to be deployed to a troubled state (KADUNA) where there is currently a curfew, threats of reprisal attacks and spate of bombings. A few other (well known to me) received letters to TROUBLED Yobe and Borno states.
We need to arise and stop the government from SENTENCING our loved ones to 'death'.
Is our government/NYSC this heartless or simply inhumane???
We seek immediate REDEPLOYMENT of our friends and families back to where they can work with PEACE of mind.
PLEASE HELP."
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