Tobias Sylvester
Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi has urged the federal government to use members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to fight Boko Haram.
Governor Kayode Fayemi, who made this call while speaking on Tuesday at an event in Ibadan, Oyo State, said at least 200,000 personnel is needed to boost the fighting power of the military and police in the move to tackle insecurity in the country.
According to him, one of the cheapest and fastest ways to achieve the recruitment drive is to reform the NYSC and encourage “willing” corps members to join military services.
The governor explained that the existing orientation camps can be used to train willing and able graduates, adding that the corps members who cannot join the military services can serve in their community without pay.
Fayemi said the present situation in the country didn’t warrant politics of blame and opportunistic opposition, but “it is time to build a nation and not to fritter it away.”
Nigeria Needs 200,000 Security Personnel – Fayemi
The governor said, “There are two things that we need to address quickly to bring the current wave of insecurity to a halt.
“We need to have a conversation on how we can recruit a large number of people to join the police and the military even if it will be on a short service basis.
“By available statistics, we need minimum of 200,000 personnel to boost the fighting power of our men. This number is very large and a potential financial and logistic nightmare, yet we cannot delay any further.
“The ungoverned spaces need to be closed up quickly by motivated men with the singular objective to save the nation. That takes us to the number two issue of financing and arming large recruitment.”
NYSC Members Should Fight Boko Haram – Fayemi
Governor Fayemi said a cost-effective and quick way to achieve the recruitment drive is to amend the law by setting up the NYSC, such that the existing orientation camps could be used to train willing and able graduates.
He said, “With this, 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.”
The governor called on the political class “to fashion out a new way of communicating their politics beyond the now obnoxious resort to ethnic jingoism, sectarian and divisive rhetoric”.
He added that Nigeria needs patriots and not ethnic crisis entrepreneurs “who see everything from the prism of ethnic and religious conspiracy”.
KanyiDaily had reported how Borno State Government hired the services of 200 special hunters to help the Military and other security agencies to fight Boko Haram terrorists.
