By Miriam Humbe
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has commended the National Youth Service Corps for deploying technology and digital innovations to curb fraudulent activities and enhance the efficiency of its operations.
Caroline Embu, the NYSC’s Director, Information and Public Relations disclosed this in a statement signed on Tuesday.
The Minister gave the commendation when the Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
Dr. Alausa applauded the NYSC leadership for the transformation recorded by the Scheme, particularly its adoption of technology in the registration and deployment of Corps Members.
“I would like to commend you for all the transformation that you have brought to NYSC and the use of technology to ensure seamless operations and deployment of Corps Members,” he said.
The Minister recalled that NYSC’s decision to embrace technology in the registration process initially met with resistance from some sections of the public, but noted that the digitization of the process had significantly improved its efficiency and was now being widely applauded by well-meaning Nigerians.
The NYSC Director General informed the Minister that the Scheme had further strengthened the security features of Corps Members’ Call-up and Posting Letters following the activities of unscrupulous individuals who had devised means of cloning the documents and issuing fake letters to prospective employers, while extorting money from unsuspecting Corps Members.
General Nafiu explained that the enhanced security measures had made the NYSC’s Call-up and Posting Letters more resistant to manipulation, adding that employers could easily verify the authenticity of the documents.
He further disclosed that a joint committee comprising relevant officials of NYSC and the Federal Ministry of Education had been constituted to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions and ensure that only qualified and eligible Nigerian graduates participate in the National Youth Service Corps.
