PDP rep presents bill on automatic employment for graduates after NYSC

A member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in house of representatives, Eta Mbora who represents Calabar Munincipal/Odukpani federal constituency of Cross River state has presented a bill seeking to provide automatic employment for graduates after their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.

The legislation seeks to amend the NYSC act to enable the military, paramilitary agencies and other special services recruit prepared graduates immediately after they have completed the one-year youth service.

The amendment bill scaled first reading at the green chamber on Thursday.

The NYSC act, as it is presently does not provide any employment opportunity for youth corps members after the programme.

In an interview with journalist on Friday, the lawmaker, said the bill will help address challenges of unemployment in Nigeria.

Mbora said if passed into law, it would help graduates who wants to join the military, paramilitary agencies or special services to do so after they have completed their NYSC programme, provided they meet the agencies’ requirements.

“At the conclusion of their service year, there should be a process where the agencies will examine those interested to determine their qualifications to be employed,” he said.

“They should be able to now enrol them after the completion of service; that is for those qualified. That way, it can address the unemployment problem and job scams in Nigeria.

“Those willing to join the military and paramilitary agencies and other special services should be able to do so since they have served their country.”

He also said the bill seeks to officially increase the allowance of corps members to meet their needs.

He said although the federal government recently increased the allowance, the action is not supported by the law and will only be legal with the amendment.

Despite being Africa’s biggest economy, Nigeria’s unemployment rate is very high. It rose to about 23 percent at the third quarter of 2018.

The federal government has search for numerous remedies to check this problem, including introducing through schemes like the N-Power programme, but the problem is still not solved.