 The House of Representatives considers Bill to scrap the National Youth Service Corps and Nigerians a reaction to the news. The views, if you take a look at social media, are mixed with many against the plan to scrap. The House of Representatives also fixes Jim I to begin public hearing on the review of the 1999 constitution, but we start in a series of conversations today on what women want out of the review. Today, we'll be about women participation in politics. We'll also be digging into the land grab accusation against politician Ned Moko and every other issue surrounding that accusation. Both parties at the dispute will be here this morning. Good morning and welcome to the breakfast here on PLOS TV Africa. Feels great to have you here this beautiful Tuesday morning. Thanks for joining us. I am Osaugi Ogbon. Yes, good morning. I am Annetta Felix. Good morning to you too. Morning, how are you? I'm okay. How are you? Fantastic. Ready to get straight into the business of the day. There's so much that we will be talking about. Of course, women in politics sounds pretty interesting. I would like to get straight into that and see what must change and how we should go about it. But of course, a couple of things are trending this morning. Yes, lots, lots. First of all, we're talking about the plan to scrap NYSE. So we know that there's been a lot of conversation regarding this, you know, House of Reps are always pushing for this saying we need to scrap the national youth service course scheme. And basically, you know, lots of people have been reacting to this saying, well, I don't think that should, that should be, you know, we saw a House of Reps member yesterday say that basically when youth co-members go to the place of service, you find out that employers do not, you know, want to pay them or employ them. They basically get access to cheap labor that are available. So that's that's one of the major issues here. Well, you know, I also saw a lot of the reactions, you know, and, you know, most people say, you know, it has become ineffective, you know, and completely useless compared to the original, the reason it was started, you know, I think in the 70s to, you know, of course, bring about more national unity to spread people across the country to, of course, know better about, you know, other regions in the country. But over time, you know, it has, you know, like you've said, you know, become a source of cheap labor and the effectiveness of the scheme, you know, has, you know, faded. We've also gotten to a place where people now can lobby for where they want to be posted to so they don't go, you know, all the way to the north or the way to the south and some of all of that. And also security challenges, which I believe has to be one of the biggest, you know, reasons why there is a conversation about scrapping it, you know, because over time we've also lost dozens of core members who have gone to serve in, you know, in states far away from home and have been caught in one conflict at the other. I remember one of the elections, you know, a couple of years ago, you know, I think in 2001, I remember now, we lost, you know, about 11 or so core members to violence in the north. There's also, of course, being in the conversations concerning security with banditry now, the kidnappings on all of that. So the question, you know, that a lot of people, you know, would ask in all of this is really how effective has the NYSE been? Everyone who has passed through that scheme, the one-year program, there was a conversation about increasingly, you know, monthly allowance some time ago, which eventually was done. But how effective has it really been? In what ways does it develop the Nigerian youth? In what ways does it help the Nigerian economy? In what ways does it also help with the unity of Nigeria as, you know, it was, you know, started. So how would you argue? Would you say that? So I think, you know, I would agree that it has lost its effectiveness. It is really just a one-year program where, you know, you move to a totally different state, you know, do your, you know, camp, you know, for three weeks and then go to work in, you know, a little school here and they'll, you know, radio station or television station or hospital, whatever it is, and collect your allowance for one year. But it doesn't really, you know, do a lot of personal growth as much as it used to or originally, you know, started as, you know, and then also, I feel I don't agree that it should be totally scrapped because every country has, or most countries have their own ways that they, you know, imbibe some other type of training after university. I think it's in China or some other place, you know, there's some countries that you're forced to join in military or go for some type of military training after university, you know, for a couple of months or maybe a year, I'm not sure. So I think that we should find ways to reorganize, to re, you know, strategize with the NYSE, make it more effective, put people in separate, in certain sectors that would be more beneficial to the country. There's agriculture with which we're lacking, there's electricity, you know, which we're lacking, there is infrastructure, you know, and some of all of that. And so there should be other ways that we should be able to use the millions of you and I joined youth that pass through this, you know, scheme in years to become more effective, you know, to also learn, you know, more about, you know, personal growth away from whatever field that you even studied. You know, if you, you know, read medicine, you can, you know, spend a one-year training in agriculture, you know, learning, you know, some of all of that, also giving your time and your service to the agricultural sector. If you, of course, read, you know, at Greek, you could work in some other place, you know, building, you know, some other type of infrastructure that would be more beneficial to the person and to the country. And so, you know, because over time we focus mostly on oil, every other part of the country basically has not been able to develop, has not been able to get, you know, talent and skills infused into it. So that's what I feel it should, you know, should be done. The people who graduate should be moved into certain sectors and it should be monitored to be ensured that they are truly utilized and both ways it's beneficial instead of just hanging around some place for one year. So, I actually agree with you when you say it should be rigged in some ways so that the scheme at the end of one year, you know, is beneficial for both the company or the community that you're serving and the individual themselves. But regarding the effectiveness of the NYC scheme, I would say one thing that has, you know, greatly, you know, just done a lot to basically undermine the intentions of Yacobo Gowon when he created this in about 1973 would be corruption because there are people who now make a living off redeploying people. You're posted to the North and their business basically is to connive with NYC officials in Abuja to change your posting location from Kano State to Lagos and they will collect a high price and I know lots of people who do that. They posted on their WhatsApp status. Where are you posted to? Are you not satisfied with it? Come and pay me certain amount of money. I will make sure you get posted to your state of choice. So that corruption issue, that was not what Yacobo Gowon had in mind. You know, there was a civil war, there was a North and Southwest and whatever issue. So he said, I want us to be able to rebuild, to be rehabilitated, to just, he had his three hours policy and said, I want us to be able to live together. I personally was posted to Adamao State in 2017. I could have redeployed. I remember when, you know, they were distributing the redeployment form. I remember calling my parents and said, I feel at peace here and I stayed in Adamao for one year and I really enjoyed it. If I hadn't gone to Adamao for one year, I would never have understood what it means to actually be in Northern Ireland and to understand the possibility that they embody. Those people are very friendly. I don't know what I'm coming. They're very friendly. They are just so nice. They're just amazing people. I would never have known how cheap it was to buy food in the North. I would never have seen the opportunities and all the other, you know, challenges we have in Lagos. A one bedroom flat, very big apartment, 80,000. 80,000 would never get you something reasonable in Nigeria, in Lagos. So going to another part of the country, open my eyes to the realities of what other people experience. And I feel people should be able to experience that as well, rather than let corruption seep into that and begin to, you know, manipulate this and that. So I think what the government should do is not scrap NYC. It's not throw the baby away with a bathwater, fix the issues within the NYC, make it difficult for NYC officials to begin to collect money for people to redeploy. All these things, if you fix corruption, see, I think corruption is one of our biggest killers. So don't, don't, don't. No, I'm coming. I'm coming. Again, I'm not done. Yeah. When we talk about the corruption issue, also the security issue, because all those people who redeployed, they had valid reasons. Of course, I remember when I was in Adama, people were calling me every day because we had bombings here and there. They hear that, oh, in the news, there's a, there's a bomb blast or something in, in Adama, I'm safe. So yes, those people left for valid reasons because of security. So the government also needs to fix security issues. These are things that they need to tackle, not just say NYC should be scrapped. So if NYC is scrapped to say, I should not go to the North, if I have an engagement that means I need to be in the North, does that mean I will not be in the North? Do you understand? So it is impossible for you to say that, um, transversing the country from one, from, from one party to the other is not going to be possible. It's, it's, it definitely would happen that a time will come you need to go to the North. So those issues of security, all those things that make people dissatisfied with the NYC scheme should be fixed, not the NYC scheme being scrapped. So I think, I think, you know, that's where you should have started from, you know, addressing some of the things. No, I have to start with how NYC benefited my life. No, no, no, no. I'm saying, I'm saying, you know, you based your argument on corruption, you know, every sector in Nigeria has, you know, its level of corruption. Yes, you know, it does exist. And I mentioned it also that people who can lobby for where they want to be posted to. But the thing is, you know, I feel like we should, you know, you should start it with the reasons a lot of people want to deploy, aside of the fact that there are a lot of Nigerians and lazy and don't want to deploy because there's an opportunity for them to deploy. There's an avenue. That's one of the reasons, there's an avenue for them to deploy. No, aside the fact that there is that avenue, and that's where the corruption comes in. The point is, when, you know, there is other valid reasons why people don't want to take that risk and go that far away from home for one year, those are where, you know, the fixing needs to start from. The fact that a lot of people also don't see the actual value. I mean, your experience, you know, might be called beautiful, but it doesn't invalidate the experience of other people who have had a very, very horrible experience with it. And so those things that, you know, people think about and say, I'd rather just stay where I am, where I know that I'm safe, where I know that I'll be of more value. Those are the things that need to be fixed first, so that whenever you tell a person, oh, you're going to be deployed to your base state, they have zero fears. They know it's going to be a full experience. They're going to be used to doing that in that time. They're looking forward to it. But if you don't fix those things, there's always going to be, you know, some people looking for a loophole where they can pay their way out of it. So it's not just the corruption. Corruption exists. Even in healthcare and education everywhere, it does exist. But if you don't fix those extra details, if you don't make a person a Nigerian see the value in the NYSC, then, you know, there's always going to be, you know, people searching for loopholes. If you don't make a Nigerian feel safe anywhere in the country, any Nigerian now, if you tell the person, oh, go on, do your NYSC cuts in that? Eight out of 10 would tell you hell, you know, I'm not going to risk my life. Eight out of 10 parents would tell you hell, no, sit at home. It's better you sit at home and join me in the shop than go risk your life in Borno State or in Yobain, some of all those places. And so those things need to be fixed. A lot of people, you know, go to the NYSC and end up becoming child rapists. You know, those things need to be fixed. Going all the way to schools where you're teaching secondary school children. Nobody really has been able to explain the value in all of that using, you know, university graduates to become teachers in some secondary schools, some remote secondary schools or primary schools in, you know, different parts of the country. That's another thing that needs to be fixed. The fact that, you know, like I mentioned that employers exploiting youth comm members, they would not hire prominent staff or they wouldn't pay the ones that they have. They would rather enjoy the benefits of, you know, the flow of NYSC members, you know, from the NYSC scheme. We see lots of job advertisements. They need an NYSC member. They need an NYSC member. Somebody they can just use for cheap labor. They can pay you 10,000, way less than the minimum wage and they schedule after one year. They know that next year or the next few months and next batches and new NYSC staff. So they keep using Nigerian youth to just fund and fill their corporates while leaving the Nigerian youth just high and dry. So these are the things that need to be checked, not just throwing the scheme out. Yes, you know, like I said, you know, I don't think it should be scrapped. It should be re-jigged. It should be reorganized. It should be become more profitable to both the youth and to the country. There's a lot of sectors in Nigeria that need hands, that need extra hands and need extra service. And I think that's, you know, those are some of the areas that they should be sending, you know, these young people to where you can learn. You can develop yourself and become B. Yeah, exactly. B, beneficial to yourself and B, beneficial to the country. The wage is currently run is, you know, very, very, you know, it's of no use really to both the Nigerian youth and to the Nigerian, down to Nigeria itself. That's, you know, what I think. The corruption, yes, it does exist, just like it exists in infrastructure, just like it exists in healthcare and in education and in the police and in the army, you know, exists everywhere. But scrapping that corruption is not really the answer. If you say, oh, you know, stop taking money for redeployments, you are really only going to be saying that people don't no longer have a choice to decide whether they want to be forced to go to Borno or not, or be forced to go to Katzina or not. A lot of people don't want to go to those places, mostly because of security challenges. How many people can travel by road today? If you deploy a person to Katzina, how many of them would go by road comfortably and say, okay, I'm heading to Katzina for NYSE? Many people are, you know, fear of, you know, being kidnapped. A lot of people fear that when they are there, they might be kidnapped or they might be killed. And so those things need to be sorted out first before, you know, we can now start saying, oh, you know, now you can no longer redeploy, you know, because you paid 50,000. All right. Short break. We'll take a break. And when we come back, we're going straight into the papers. Chris Wando will be joining us this morning to go through the major news stories making headlines across Nigeria today. Stay with us.