President Bola Tinubu recently pledged automatic employment to scores of ex-corps members but has yet to fulfil the promise.
The commitment was made during a dinner in Abuja honouring 210 alumni of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Following the event, the NYSC announced in a July 29 publication that the President had offered automatic employment and cash rewards to the honoured ex-corps members.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has offered automatic employment, Scholarship within Nigeria up to Doctorate level and cash awards of N250,000 each, to a total of 210 ex-Corps Members drawn from 2020 – 2023 service years,” the statement by NYSC read in part.
“This number is comprised of 200 who went beyond the call of duty to distinguish themselves in the course of their National Service, with outstanding contributions in all the four cardinal programmes of the Scheme, and 10 who sustained life-transforming injuries in the course of their service year.”
According to the statement, the President directed the “Head of Service of the Federation and the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission to facilitate their employment into the Federal Civil Service immediately”.
However, investigation reveals that, nearly two months after the widely publicised event, the Tinubu administration has yet to deliver on its promises.
Some of the affected individuals said that while the announcement of automatic jobs initially raised their hopes, no one from the NYSC or the government has contacted them, nor have any job offers been made.
“There has been no automatic job of any form; in fact, no one has reached out. The only thing they have fulfilled is the money promised but aside from the money, nothing else has been done,” an affected ex-corps member who spoke on condition of anonymity over fear of victimisation.
Another ex-corps member, who suffered life-threatening injuries while serving and was among those honoured in July under the Hope Alive Category, told SaharaReporters that the automatic employment was a source of joy given his physical state, but nothing had come forth after the promise.
“When they told us that there would be automatic employment, I was happy because I suffered bodily harm while serving and companies now use this to reject my attempts at working but when they government made the announcement, I thought there would be a place for me in government even if I am suffering some physical disabilities but till today nobody, not even a phone call or email has been initiated,” the ex-corps member said.
The ex-corps members are appealing to the Nigerian government to fulfill its promises, lamenting that the much-publicised award by the Presidency has remained unfulfilled.
“We are asking that the government should not use us as a tool for publicity, while in the actual sense, there would be nothing to show. We don’t want to be another tool of false government promotion,” another affected ex-corps member said.
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