Still on the N4,000 NYSC call-up fee

Despite the National Youth Service Corps’ explanation, many Nigerians still frown on the planned N4,000 call-up fee for prospective corps members.

Comments:

Yetunde Onigbogi: Asking someone to pay for accessing your website to print out a document is ridiculous by every stretch of imagination. The whole thing just leaves one wondering if there is really any benefits to gain from a Nigerian government when every ministry, department and agency charge you for everything. And to think that the very things you get charged for in Nigeria are free in other sane environments.

Those making noise about transformation agenda ought to ask this government why the transformation seems to be heaping more burden on Nigerians. The charade called transformation has not been able to stop Nigerian youths from being ripped off at every opportunity.

These are the same youths that have had to pay all their lives for everything — including common entrance examination, junior school examination, senior school examinations (WAEC and NECO), Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, Post-UTME, as well as pay for scratch cards to check centres and results, etc. Now they must pay to get their NYSC call-up letters and later pay for employment forms for jobs they are not even sure of getting. So what is being transformed?

Adegboyega Ehinmowo: I can’t believe this is happening in this country and in 2014. Haba! Fresh graduates going to serve their fatherland should pay N4, 000 for online registration? Oh my God! When are we going to be free from these extortionists and who will deliver us?

In 2008 we developed and used a computerised registration platform for Ebonyi State for free as a part of our National Youth Service Corps Community Development Service project. What stops the government from encouraging such initiatives, make it more robust and deploy it for the rest of the states?

But of course they must look out for ways not only to exploit the poor masses but to further impoverish them. If the Government cannot computerise her process and provide the necessary infrastructures for the smooth running of NYSC operations, I think it is time to scrap the scheme and allow Nigerian youths be.

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