Mr Ike Onyechere, Chairman, Exam Ethics Marshal International (EEMI) has called on the management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to allow Nigerians serve their fatherland irrespective of age.
Onyechere made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said that age should not be a barrier for citizens who were willing to serve their fatherland through the NYSC.
“The law that says over age people should not serve is to give those who went to school at and advanced age succour.
“But if someone wants to render that service on his own volition, even if he is 40 years old and can still serve he should be allowed to do it.
“I don’t think it is fraudulent for someone above 30 years to serve, I rather see it as patriotic. If they refuse to exempt themselves they should be allowed to serve,’’ he said.
Onyechere also blamed the issue on unemployment in the country and graduates wanted to do the one year service in order to earn the N19,000 and not be idle.
He said that the law was only broken when a citizen out rightly refused to do his or her youth service after graduation, advising that issues should be looked at from different perspective and policies should be objective.
Newsmen recall that the NYSC banned prospective corps members from the Benue State University, Makurdi due to age falsification by some of the students to make them eligible for the one year service.
NAN
