NYSC won’t be abandoned, says Goodluck Jonathan
NYSC won't be abandoned, says Goodluck Jonathan
In his strongest weigh in so far on the burning issue, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday emphatically declared that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will not be scrapped.
He made his stance known while speaking at an interactive session with a cross section of Nigerian youth as part of activities leading up to the presidential inauguration on May 29.
Mr Jonathan, who was speaking during an audience with a delegation of General Electric (GE), led by the company’s vice chairman, John Rice, at State House, Marina, Lagos, also reiterated his determination to hit the ground running after his inauguration. He disclosed that the new federal cabinet would, barring any unforeseen events, be ready two weeks after his swearing-in.
The time would have been shorter, the president explained, but for the fact that the new National Assembly which still has to approve his nominees, won’t be coming on stream until June 6.
At the meeting, the president, who said he would be “a leader and not a ruler”, responded to a question on the continued relevance of the NYSC, by saying: “It is a programme that is helpful to the Nigerian youth and has exposed them to different cultures.”
According to him, the federal government would continue to encourage the programme because of its unifying benefits.
He however noted that after more than three decades, it was time to review the scheme “and make it more functional, practical and profitable for Nigerian youth.”
Following the killing of youth corps members in the northern part of the country, parents and groups alike have called for the scrapping or review of the NYSC scheme.
The president, who dedicated his victory at the presidential poll to the Nigerian youth, declared that his election was made possible by the youth.
Noting that the presidential election demonstrated how “this country is one and belongs to all of us”, the president stressed that the broad mandate given him “is the beginning of unity and change in Nigeria.”
Mr Jonathan, who described the youth as a vibrant, energetic and significant proportion of the country’s population that must be planned for, said the “challenge in four years is to form a base for a robust economy to take care of the needs and potential of our young ones.”
He assured them that the federal government would work with them while restating his administration’s commitment to continue to encourage women to play significant roles in all sectors.
Representatives of various youth groups such as the Nigerian Youth Council (NYC), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and Nollywood congratulated President Jonathan on his electoral success while reaffirming their hope in his ability to change the fortunes of Nigeria’s youth.
Importance of power and rail
At the meeting with GE representatives, the president reiterated his determination to make his four-year mandate meaningful to all Nigerians.
“I want the next four years to be very beneficial to Nigerians and for effective delivery of democracy dividends and not for talking,” he said. “I promised myself to pick the few things I can do and say that these are what I have done.”
Mr Jonathan, who identified power and rail transportation as key to the transformation of the economy, noted that without railways “our roads will not last.” He said that the plan of his government was that “every where we have a major industry like cement factory located, we must plan to link it to the rail system in order to reduce the pressure on our roads.”
Mr Rice, who congratulated President Jonathan on his election, said GE was prepared to deepen and fast-track the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with Nigeria since 2009 in oil and gas, rail, energy and healthcare sectors.
GE has been operating for 30 years in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and has provided 25 locomotives for the Nigerian railways.
In his strongest weigh in so far on the burning issue, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday emphatically declared that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will not be scrapped.
He made his stance known while speaking at an interactive session with a cross section of Nigerian youth as part of activities leading up to the presidential inauguration on May 29.
Mr Jonathan, who was speaking during an audience with a delegation of General Electric (GE), led by the company’s vice chairman, John Rice, at State House, Marina, Lagos, also reiterated his determination to hit the ground running after his inauguration. He disclosed that the new federal cabinet would, barring any unforeseen events, be ready two weeks after his swearing-in.
The time would have been shorter, the president explained, but for the fact that the new National Assembly which still has to approve his nominees, won’t be coming on stream until June 6.
At the meeting, the president, who said he would be “a leader and not a ruler”, responded to a question on the continued relevance of the NYSC, by saying: “It is a programme that is helpful to the Nigerian youth and has exposed them to different cultures.”
According to him, the federal government would continue to encourage the programme because of its unifying benefits.
He however noted that after more than three decades, it was time to review the scheme “and make it more functional, practical and profitable for Nigerian youth.”
Following the killing of youth corps members in the northern part of the country, parents and groups alike have called for the scrapping or review of the NYSC scheme.
The president, who dedicated his victory at the presidential poll to the Nigerian youth, declared that his election was made possible by the youth.
Noting that the presidential election demonstrated how “this country is one and belongs to all of us”, the president stressed that the broad mandate given him “is the beginning of unity and change in Nigeria.”
Mr Jonathan, who described the youth as a vibrant, energetic and significant proportion of the country’s population that must be planned for, said the “challenge in four years is to form a base for a robust economy to take care of the needs and potential of our young ones.”
He assured them that the federal government would work with them while restating his administration’s commitment to continue to encourage women to play significant roles in all sectors.
Representatives of various youth groups such as the Nigerian Youth Council (NYC), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and Nollywood congratulated President Jonathan on his electoral success while reaffirming their hope in his ability to change the fortunes of Nigeria’s youth.
Importance of power and rail
At the meeting with GE representatives, the president reiterated his determination to make his four-year mandate meaningful to all Nigerians.
“I want the next four years to be very beneficial to Nigerians and for effective delivery of democracy dividends and not for talking,” he said. “I promised myself to pick the few things I can do and say that these are what I have done.”
Mr Jonathan, who identified power and rail transportation as key to the transformation of the economy, noted that without railways “our roads will not last.” He said that the plan of his government was that “every where we have a major industry like cement factory located, we must plan to link it to the rail system in order to reduce the pressure on our roads.”
Mr Rice, who congratulated President Jonathan on his election, said GE was prepared to deepen and fast-track the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with Nigeria since 2009 in oil and gas, rail, energy and healthcare sectors.
GE has been operating for 30 years in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and has provided 25 locomotives for the Nigerian railways.
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