Darius Ishaku, the governor of Taraba state, on Wednesday 7th July 2021, said that, as part of the country’s efforts to combat insecurity, members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) should be allowed to undergo military training.
The governor who was a guest on Channels TV’s Politics, also said the scheme should be extended to two years with the first involving core military training.
Recall that the NYSC scheme which runs for a year was designed by the Nigerian government in 1973 to encourage nation-building among graduates.
However, the governor believes that an extension of the duration would better equip graduates with self-defence techniques especially at a time like this when national insecurity is at it’s lowest point.
“The NYSC I will say should be two years. One year for compulsory military training and the other year for the social works that they are doing now so that anybody who graduates as an NYSC person can know how to handle the gun and defend himself.
“Just as it is done in Israel, Lebanon, etc, you must engage your citizens to be proactive. When you cannot provide security, you must allow the people to protect themselves,” he said.
The governor also reacted to the issue of insurgency and banditry that has ravaged the northeast and northwest regions of the country.
He noted that he has repeatedly asked security agencies who the sponsors of the criminal elements are.
When asked if the issue had any political undertones, the governor replied in the affirmative.
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