Corps members across the country have revealed how officials of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and others have been extorting money from them while calling for the scheme to be scrapped.
A serving corps member, Tolani Ajayi, lamented described the scheme as a sham wondering why she and her colleagues wear asked to pay N1000 for project and another N500 for NYSC annual magazine.
“I just don’t understand. And they’re even making it compulsory. They refused to let me sign attendance just because I’ve not paid. They’re doing that to so many people there and it’s not just fair.”
Another corps member serving in Abuja, who pleaded that her name and CDS Group remain anonymous for fear of victimisation, told online medium, Premium Times that corps members in her group were even made to make a payment into an NYSC officer’s private account.
“In my CDS, each time we paid money, it was not to an NYSC account or exco account but to a private account. And all these payments are compulsory.
“Whenever we needed money for any other thing, we contribute among ourselves because we don’t expect her (NYSC official) to give us any money,” she said.
Looking around, the corps members were noticed complaining and on one side were angry, frustrated-looking youths grumbling about how the scheme should be scrapped. On another side, those who had paid struggled to sign the attendance register. Those prepared to pay queued up in the midst of the chaos and literally begged the NYSC executives or ‘money collector’ as they are referred to, to collect their money, so they can sign and escape the scorching sun.
Despite official proclamations against these illegal charges on corps members, investigation showed that the practice remains unchecked across Nigeria.
Speaking on the issue, David Onyekachi, who served in Kwara State in 2015, said the charges had become a trend that corps member get used to.
“First it was CDS registration. That one was compulsory, because without being ‘registered,’ your name won’t even be in the attendance register before you’ll start thinking of signing.
“Few weeks into the service year as well as CDS meetings, excos started making announcements, saying we needed new set of chairs and tables and we were required to make contributions of N500 each to enable us buy them but that it wasn’t compulsory for everyone to pay the same amount. They said you have to give something as donation if you can’t pay the required N500.
“Not so long after that, they started mentioning community project and annual magazine. When I heard that, I felt it won’t require any payment because they had told us about the magazine in camp and we even submitted passports for it and the funny thing is, officials in camp had warned us not to give a dime to anyone. And then the project, I thought we just needed to brainstorm and suggests ideas for what could be done for the community.
“Not until I started hearing that we were required to pay a thousand naira for the community project and N500 for the annual magazine and this time, it was compulsory.
“After paying for that one, there were subsequent charges like N200 for picnic, N50 for late coming and some others that I can’t remember again,” he said.
Also, an ex-corps member, Reuben Jonathan, leader of his CDS group, said whenever they (the excos) collect money from corps members, they hand it over to their CDS officer.
