President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Amendment Act, to allow the institution to operate as all other universities in the country.
With the assent, graduates of the NOUN can now participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Nigerian Law School.
Presidential Assistant on National Assembly (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, announced the assent of the President while addressing State House reporters on Friday in Abuja.
NYSC suspends orientation course
The National Youth Service Corps ( NYSC) has suspended the commencement of the 2018 Batch ” C” corps members’ orientation of those deployed to Kaduna State.
The state government had imposed a 24-hour curfew on the state to halt the bloody attacks escalating from killings in Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru Local Government Area of the State few days ago.
NYSC redeploys corps members
A total of 700 out of 1,289 members of the National Youth Service Corps serving in Borno State have been redeployed.
The NYSC Coordinator in Borno State, Alhaji Rabiu Katsina, disclosed this in a meeting with journalists held on Monday in Katsina, capital of Katsina State, after the closing ceremony of the three-week orientation exercise for the 2018 Batch ‘B’ corps members in the state.
Katsina said the corps members were redeployed due to challenges ranging from insecurity and ill-health to marital issues. He said, “We cannot stop the corps members who seek redeployment for health reasons. We have to release them to their respective parents who will continue to take care of them. The same thing applies to female corps members who are married. This is strictly on compassionate grounds.”
The coordinator also said that Borno had decided to pay various monthly allowances to corps members, aside from the normal monthly allowance paid to them by the NYSC, as an incentive to encourage those deployed to the state.
He said, “Borno State now pays N100,000 monthly allowance to corps members who are doctors and N50,000 monthly allowance to corps members who are paramedics, including nurses and physiotherapists.
Shun needless travels, NYSC DG tells corps members
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brig.Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, has charged corps members across the country to be security conscious and avoid unnecessary travels and reckless movements during their service year.
Kazaure also advised them to always move in groups within the locality of their areas of primary assignments.
The NYSC DG spoke on Saturday after inspecting facilities at the Imo State NYSC orientation camp at Eziama Obaire, Nkwerre Council Area of Imo State.
Kazaure, who is the 17th DG of the NYSC established in 1973, also cautioned the corps members against indecent dressing and indulgence in night parties. He urged them to respect the traditions of their host communities.
NYSC opens portal to begin registration for 2018 Batch ‘B’ mobilisation exercise
The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, has said that it will open its online registration portal for the 2018 Batch ‘B’ mobilisation exercise on Tuesday.
In an advert published in Daily Trust newspaper page 33 of Monday, 9th July 2018 the agency said that all prospective corps members,”i.e Nigerians who have graduated from universities and mono/polytechnics both at home and abroad” to register for the mobilisation exercise between Tuesday, 10th July and 16th July, 2018.”
FG SET TO INCREASE ALLOWANCE OF CORPS MEMBERS
Sulaiman Kazaure, the Director General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), says the increase in corps members monthly allowance would be determined by the new national minimum wage ”when it takes effect around September 2018.”
The official said this on Monday while fielding questions from journalists newsmen shortly after the swearing-in ceremony of the 2018 Batch ‘A’ corps members at the NYSC orientation camp in Kusalla, Karaye Local Government Area of Kano state.
According to him, “our efforts to ensure that the monthly allowance of the corps members is increased have yielded a very good result following series of discussion with the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige.”
Mr Kazaure added that the N18,800 paid to them is grossly inadequate to cater for their needs during the mandatory one year service to the nation.
The federal government had set-up a committee to look into the upward review of the minimum wage which he said will also determine the increase of the corps members’ allowance.
“We have been assured that when the new minimum wage takes effect, also the corps members allowance will be reviewed upward,” Mr Kazaure assured.
The NYSC DG also disclosed that 82,000 corps members were deployed nationwide for the 2018 Batch ‘A’ orientation course across various states except those with security challenges.
In his remarks, the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, urged the corps members to shun all acts capable of denting the image of the scheme or which would sour their relationship with the camp officials.
Full Article : https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/266011-new-minimum-wage-will-determine-corps-members-allowance-dg.html
Senate Rejects Bill To Include Skirts In NYSC Uniform
A bill to amend the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Act to include skirts in NYSC uniform could not scale second reading at the Senate on Wednesday.
The bill was rejected following concerns that such amendment required altering the constitution which involved a longer process.
Soliciting support of his colleagues, Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba-PDP) said the amendment was meant to give corps members the liberty of digressing from the rigid adherence to the NYSC uniform specification.
“This particular amendment especially in section 13 and 16 of the principal act is to achieve the following objectives; increase the penalty for offences contained in the Act to make such fines reflect the present value of the naira. To ensure that regulations made by the directorate prescribing drills and uniform for exercise do not violate certain religious practices.
“The uniform adopted for corps members have become a basis for controversy between the directorate and the public. In fact, some corps members drop out of service because of conflict they’ve witnessed.
“The major bone of contention is that some of the drills and uniform contravene the religious belief of corps members and invariably denying them right of religion, thought and conscience.”
The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who took over from Bukola Saraki in presiding over the plenary called the attention of Mr. Bwacha to the provisions of Section 9 (2) of the Constitution.
“Section 9 (2) of the Constitution says that for you to amend the Constitution, it has to pass through the senate and the state assemblies. We have to follow the same process as if we are amending the Constitution. What we are trying to do here is like to amend the NYSC Act. I understand your position, we have to follow that process.”
Full Article : http://dailypost.ng/2018/03/07/nigerian-senate-rejects-bill-include-skirts-nysc-uniform/