Former First Lady of Lagos State, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Wednesday called for the reformation of the National Youth Service Corps.
According to The PUNCH, the wife of the presidential candidate for All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, stated that the program is highly due for holistic reforms which would see it enjoy a new outlook.
Tinubu made the request while speaking at the second edition of the APC Professionals Forum Symposium in Abuja, represented by the Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development, Asabe Bashir.
The development came just 24 hours after a bill in the House of Representatives failed to change the existing Act to make the mandatory one-year national youth service for under-30 graduates optional.
The bill, which also attempted to make it easier for NYSC members to get a Certificate of Exemption, failed to pass second reading due to strong opposition, particularly from House members from the North.
However, Tinubu’s wife stated on Tuesday that she is confident that the NYSC can be overhauled and rebuilt in such a way that it will reduce the bottlenecks associated with graduates trying to find job after service.
She said, “We believe that the National Youth Service Corps is long overdue for a holistic, modern, and progressive reform.
“This will be achieved by proactively encouraging and incentivising corporate recruitment and possible retainership of employees directly from the scheme.
‘We will champion the creation of Business Incubation Centres (Innovation and Productivity Hubs). These centres will help incubate, mentor and support youth innovators and inventors.
“We will increase the ease and robustness of intellectual property registration and protection such as copyrights, patents, and trademark,” she said.
