The Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to immediately halt the posting of National Youth Service Corps members to states battling insecurity.
In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the National President of the association, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, described the continued deployment of corps members to regions facing insurgency and banditry as both dangerous and insensitive. He stressed that the lives of young graduates should not be endangered under the guise 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 call comes amid growing concerns over the safety of corps members sent to volatile areas, despite an earlier promise by the Federal Government. In February, the Minister of Youth, Jamila Bio-Ibrahim, had announced that corps members would no longer be deployed to states considered highly unsafe. However, recent developments appear to contradict this assurance.
In May, suspected bandits attacked three villages in the 7 Gwana District of Alkaleri Local Government Area, Bauchi State, killing at least 15 people. Nevertheless, the NYSC proceeded to deploy 1,600 corps members to the state later that month.
Likewise, 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 an attack on Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area.
Responding to these incidents, Danjuma reiterated that no national programme, no matter how valuable, is worth the life of any Nigerian youth.
“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,” he said.
Danjuma also criticised the practice of assigning corps members to states that involve long and hazardous travel. According to him, such journeys expose young Nigerians to further risks, including accidents, abduction, and 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.
