Recruit Corps Members Into Military, Police To Tackle Insecurity – Fayemi

Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State, has advocated that members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) be recruited into the military and police force as a means of boosting the number of security operatives and effectively securing the country.

Governor Fayemi, who is also Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, made the recommendation at a lecture he delivered at the Babatunde Oduyoye Annual Birthday Lecture in Ibadan on Tuesday. Oduyoye, a former member of the House of Representatives is a Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Politics.

According to the governor, the number of service personnel in both the military and police is grossly inadequate to maintain order internally, as well as maintain the territorial integrity of the country.

He stated that the country needs to use more of the kinetic approach to tackle insecurity, adding that at least additional 200,000 personnel to boost the number of its security agents in Nigeria.

The corps members, he said, can be properly trained as military personnel, noting that those who want to continue after the one-year mandatory service should be drafted to the security services under a special scheme.

He said: “I believe one of the cheapest and fastest ways to handle this is to amend the law setting up the National Youths Service Corps such that we can use the existing orientation camps to train willing and able graduates to reflate the security personnel under a special arrangement that will be worked out.

“That way, the fund that is currently deployed to the NYSC can be used with just some additional funding which could be sourced through a national emergency fund for the next five to 10 years. Those who cannot join the military services can serve in their community without pay if we must still retain the NYSC for everyone.

“To incentivise those who may volunteer to serve, they will have a separate certificate and medal of honour in addition to having priority for military, paramilitary and civil or public service recruitment after service.”