Bill seeking to establish NYSC trust fund passes second reading at house of reps

A bill seeking to establish the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) trust fund has passed reading at the house of representatives.

The proposed legislation seeks to “provide a sustainable source of funding for NYSC, skill acquisition training and provision of startup capital to corps members, train and retrain the personnel of the NYSC, develop camps, NYSC formations and provide facilities therein”.

Mayowa Akinfolarin, sponsor of the bill, said the trust fund will help in promoting the spirit of self-reliance and entrepreneurship among corps members.

He said corps members would be trained on various skills which would make them establish self-sustained businesses after the completion of their national service.

Akinfolarin said the trust fund will “improve the general welfare of corps members and enhance their preparedness to effectively discharge their statutory duties of promoting national unity, integration, self-reliance and accelerated development of the national economy”.

When passed into law, private organisations will contribute one percent of their net profit to the fund, while 0.2 percent of total revenue accruing to the federation account will be earmarked for the fund.

The bill’s second reading comes amid debate over whether or not the NYSC should be scrapped.

In May 2021, a bill seeking to scrap the scheme passed first reading at the lower legislative chamber.

The constitution alteration bill seeks to repeal section 315 (5)(a) of the 1999 constitution which establishes the NYSC and its enabling act.

Awaji-Inombek Abiante, the bill’s sponsor, had said the scheme has failed to achieve its intended purpose and therefore should be discontinued.

Abiante also said the scheme has led to the untimely death of some corps members who were posted to areas with serious security threats.