National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has offered to collaborate with Independent Corrupt
Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to intensify the war against corruption.
The NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, made the offer in Abuja on Friday when he paid courtesy visit to ICPC.
Ibrahim said that the visit was occasioned by the need for NYSC to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to strengthen the
anti corruption crusade.
He added that “on assumption of office, I decided to strengthen relationship with relevant stakeholders to eradicate corruption
from our operations at the NYSC and to contribute to government’s war against corruption.
“NYSC had been collaborating with ICPC since 2009 in the area of anti corruption and we need to improve on that, hence my
visit .”
The director general assured the ICPC that corps members were always readily available for any anti corruption advocacy that
the commission might want to engage them in.
He urged the commission to take steps to revive the Anti Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of the NYSC, which
he said became inactive due to unavoidable circumstances.
“Corps members are always available for any anti corruption advocacy that your commission might want to engage them in.
“There is the need to revive ACTU in NYSC, which has become inactive due to staff transfer, promotion and other factors.”
He sought the ICPC’s support to track down and prosecute tertiary institutions found guilty of sending unqualified candidates
to NYSC to be mobilised as corps members.
The Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, commended the NYSC boss for the collaboration offer.
He described the scheme as an important institution the ICPC was always willing to collaborate with, saying it was
a critical stakeholder in the anti corruption campaign.
Owasanoye said “NYSC is one very important institution that the ICPC will love to collaborate with.
“The scheme is very important for young people to imbibe the right attitude to life. It is a critical stakeholder toward
the realisation of our mandate.”
He assured the NYSC director general of the commission’s readiness to re-establish the ACTU branch.
He further said that the ICPC would take practical steps to track down and prosecute erring officials and
institutions who send unqualified candidates for NYSC.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NYSC had, on Tuesday, made similar collaborative overture to the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
