NYSC: Stop posting our children to insecure states, parents tell FG

The Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria has appealed to the Federal Government to stop posting prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps to states plagued by insecurity.

Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the PTA National President, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, described the continued deployment of corps members to states battling insurgency and banditry as “dangerous and insensitive.”

He warned that the lives of young graduates should not be risked in the name of national service.

“We urge the NYSC Director-General and the government to handle this issue with good conscience.

Before posting corps members to any state, they should ensure there is adequate security. Measures must be in place to protect lives and property. Our children should not be sent to states where insurgents are active,” Danjuma said.

The plea follows renewed concerns over the safety of corps members deployed to states experiencing deadly attacks by insurgents.

Although the Minister of Youth, Jamila Bio-Ibrahim, announced in February this year that corps members would no longer be posted to states classified as “very unsafe,” recent events suggest the directive is not being fully implemented.

In May, suspected bandits launched a midnight attack on three villages in the 7 Gwana District of Alkaleri Local Government Area, Bauchi State, killing no fewer than 15 people.

Despite the incident, the NYSC still deployed 1,600 corps members to the state later that month.

Similarly, on June 13, just hours after 1,303 corps members of the 2025 Batch A Stream II were sworn in at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State, over 200 people were killed in a brutal attack in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area of the state.

Reacting to the tragedy, Danjuma maintained that no national programme, regardless of its noble intentions, was worth the life of a single Nigerian youth.

He said, “We all know the importance of the NYSC, but it isn’t worth losing their lives over. We cannot afford to lose any of our children simply because they went for national service. The government should ensure that corps member deployment is handled with security consciousness. Where necessary, they should even consider using special escorts.”

Danjuma also condemned the continued practice of posting corps members to states that require “lengthy and hazardous travel routes,” which, according to him, exposes them to additional risks such as accidents, abduction, or armed robbery.

“You will see situations where children travel for an entire day, or even two to three days, just to reach their place of deployment. The government should look into this. They should consider the distance involved and the stress it imposes on our children,” he added.