DPI and #Protectthecorpers announce online conference on NYSC reforms

The calls for action on reforms of the Nigerian Youth Service Corps NYSC will receive another boost on Monday, 10 October as Digital Peers International and #Protect the Corpers will host a twitter conference with the hashtag #Nyscreforms. The Twitter conference which will run from 4pm –7pm that day will attempt to gather ideas, suggestions and opinions of young people and critical stakeholders on reforming the 38 year old scheme.

In over 38 years of existence, more than 1 million youth across Nigeria have been deployed under the National Youth Service Corps [NYSC] scheme. The scheme which was originally set up with the vision to promote national integuration, cross cultural exchange, mutual understanding and service amongst Nigerian youth, has fallen short of its initial ideals. Since its inception in 1973, the decree setting up the National Youth Service Corps has been modified only once through decree 51 of June 1993, Nigeria’s current social realities of unemployment, poverty,
infrastructural challenges and escalating violence has made it imperative to embark upon a reform of the NYSC scheme in order to reposition it to effectively respond to these challenges and contribute to Nation building.

Encouraged by the commitment of the Ministry of Youth and Development towards the reformation of the NYSC, DIGITAL PEERS INTERNATIONAL in collaboration with the #Protectthecorpers Initiative fully intends to discuss crucial points on the overdue NYSC reforms. The twitter conference is part of a bigger project tagged ‘NYSC reforms and advocacy project’ which is supported by the World Bank. The primary objective of this project is to gather opinions and ideas of young people around NYSC reforms, develop it into an advocacy document and engage the Government and stakeholders to ensure that the 38 year old institution is
reformed to meet the challenges of today’s Nigeria.

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DPI and #Protectthecorpers announce online conference on NYSC reforms

The calls for action on reforms of the Nigerian Youth Service Corps NYSC will receive another boost on Monday, 10 October as Digital Peers International and #Protect the Corpers will host a twitter conference with the hashtag #Nyscreforms. The Twitter conference which will run from 4pm – 7pm that day will attempt to gather ideas, suggestions and opinions of young people and critical stakeholders on reforming the 38 year old scheme.

In over 38 years of existence, more than 1 million youth across Nigeria have been deployed under the National Youth Service Corps [NYSC] scheme. The scheme which was originally set up with the vision to promote national integuration, cross cultural exchange, mutual understanding and service amongst Nigerian youth, has fallen short of its initial ideals. Since its inception in 1973, the decree setting up the National Youth Service Corps has been modified only once through decree 51 of June 1993, Nigeria’s current social realities of unemployment, poverty,
infrastructural challenges and escalating violence has made it imperative to embark upon a reform of the NYSC scheme in order to reposition it to effectively respond to these challenges and contribute to Nation building.

Encouraged by the commitment of the Ministry of Youth and Development towards the reformation of the NYSC, DIGITAL PEERS INTERNATIONAL in collaboration with the #Protectthecorpers Initiative fully intends to discuss crucial points on the overdue NYSC reforms.

The twitter conference is part of a bigger project tagged ‘NYSC reforms and Advocacy project’ which is supported by the World Bank. The primary objective of this project is to gather opinions and ideas of young people around NYSC reforms, develop it into an advocacy document and engage the Government and stakeholders to ensure that the 38 year old institution is
reformed to meet the challenges of today’s Nigeria.

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Young Nigerians must continue to engage government" – US Consular-General

“Young Nigerians must continue to engage government,” the US Consul-General, Joseph D. Stafford, has said. This was part of his Keynote Remarks at the consulate’s New Tools, New Government town hall meeting with young leaders and icons held at the US Consulate’s Public Affairs Section office in Lagos. The event was presented by leading development firm, The Future Project.

“I was very impressed at the active participation of the Nigerian youth during the 2011 elections,” he said. “Now that the elections are over, it would be productive to see continuous social media engagements. The United States government hails the conduct of the process with young civil engagement organizations, and the activities of frontline organizations like The Future Project.”

The focus was on election and post-election engagement for young Nigerians to work and build a strong democratic society and drive a true government of and by the people.

The meeting covered using Social and New Media to address governance issues and encourage youth to be active citizens, and how various organizations, projects and activities engaged pre-elections, during the elections and post-elections, the impact made and future plans - long and short term.

Presentations were made by EnoughisEnough Nigeria on its RSVP campaign and the ReVoDa mobile election application, 234NEXT.com on its Ushahidi Platform, and the Community Development Foundation on its ReclaimNaija incident reporting website and an overview of election activities by Kayode Nubi, who is Communication Officer with The Future Project. There was also a practical session on how to use the internet to monitor government officials by Samuel Eyitayo, who is Information Resource Director of the Public Affairs Section.

Guests at the event included representatives of LEAP Africa, the Kudirat initiative for Democracy, Smoke Free Foundation, Access Cool Peer Monitoring Project, Tosin Jegde Foundation, amongst others. Also attending was ace comedian Ali Baba, OC Ukeje, Mosunmola Umoru, publisher Familusi Akin Babajide, Tosyn Bucknor, Abiola Aloba, amongst others. There was also a performance by GT da Guitarman and the event was hosted by TV presenter and events compere, Shade Ladipo.

“Social and new media is only a tool and should not be relied upon solely,” said Chuks Ojidoh who made the presentation for ReclaimNaija. “It must be linked with the tradition – or old – media that there must be synergy between the two. More than that, everyone in Nigeria should have a sense of responsibility so that we will all be involved in Nigeria’s governance.”

Added Tina Onufer, who is Public Affairs Officer, "Informed citizens must disseminate information to the larger population responsibly."

The event was managed by Red Media, a leading media and marketing communication firm based in Lagos, and owner of Y! (www.ynaija.com) – a range of media brands on television, radio, print and online.

"This event was very instructive for me and very successful," said Bene Uche, who is Senior Cltural Officer with the PAS and who officially kicked off the event. "More importantly though, there is need for continuity and implementing what was discussed here today."

“We are excited by the fact that this conversation has begun,” said Adebola Williams, who is co-founder of Red Media, and who anchored the event’s interactive session which also featured the Consulate’s Tina Onufer. “Young Nigerians played a key role in the last elections, using the innovative social tools that the New and Digital Media provide, and it is important that we define a pathway from there to the future. Nigeria has no choice but to change for good.”

More information on The Future Project and its projects – including the popular The Future Awards - are available on www.thefuturenigeria.com.

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“This is a national disgrace,” says #ProtectTheCorpers

The coalition of groups behind #ProtectTheCorpers,m formed in the wake of the killing of young National Youth Service Corps members in the North has called on the Federal Government and the Government of Rivers State to give the nation a report on the whereabouts of the kidnapped corps members in the state and the plans to get them to their families safe.

“Tomorrow, the 16th of June, is the passing out parade for the Batch B Corps Members, and more than once week since Olumide Yusuf and 4 other female corp members were kidnapped from Community Secondary School in Omademe village Ikwerre LGA of Port Harcourt, Rivers State,” said Chude Jideonwo, of The Future Project. “The matter of kidnapping is one of
general national concern and is not specifically an NYSC issue, and as such we had hoped, as with all Nigerians, the government would decisively tackle this development, but we are alarmed that about ten days later, these young helpless people serving their nation are yet to be found!”

The coalition described as “unconscionable”, the fact that expatriates and prominent Nigerians happen to find freedom based on the negotiation and activities of various government functionaries, but in this case there has been a surprising national silence.

“This comes as we should be gladded by news that the Federal Government has not acceded to the first of its seven demands for short-term measures to guarantee the safety and security of young Nigerians under the National Youth Service Scheme,” said Yemi Adamolekun of the EnoughisEnough movement. “The number one demand was for the government to “Identify
violence-prone “hot-spots” states and/or districts and ensure that corps member posting to these areas is voluntary. This voluntary posting must also come with an institutionalised incentive. In news reports last Friday, Gabriel Ibe, the Oyo State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), announced that the NYSC management will no longer post corps members to crisis prone areas in the country; revealing that each state coordinator has been so directed and the directive will take effect with the next deployment of corps members on July 7.”

This sad development follows the conclusion of the coalition’s petition drive. It will be recalled that the call for signatures for the formal petition to be forwarded to the Presidency and the Ministry for Youth Development was brought to a successful close after the petition was
brought to the attention of the President at his pre-inauguration meeting with young Nigerian leaders and groups. The coalition extracted a commitment from the President to speed up the process of reforming the youth corps scheme amid a directive to his Minister for Youth Development who was also present at the meeting.

“Unfortunately,” said Samuel Joseph, who is project manager of this campaign, “This is now two steps backwards. The continued kidnap is a national disgrace. Reform of the NYSC is a long term project that involves thought, strategy perspective true – but in the meantime, we demand that
President Goodluck Jonathan as the Chief Security Officer of the nation be seen as doing everything in its power immediately, to free these young people. At this point, nothing matters more.”

The coalition behind #ProtectTheCorpers is led by The Future Project, and includes SleevesUp Nigeria, the National Youth Council, AIESEC, EnoughisEnoughNigeria, NigeriaVillageSquare.com, Friends of Aik and Paradigm Initiative Nigeria.

More information is on www.thefuturenigeria.com/protectthecorpers.

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Protect The Corpers wants volunteers!

You've heard of the post-election violence that erupted in many parts of the North that caused the murder of a lot of our youths who were involved in the NYSC. Well, the #ProtectTheCorpers project s doing something about it and we need your help!

We are calling for volunteers. We are asking you to go beyond signing the petition to actually helping out and join the team that drives this project. We need your time, your expertise and your skills. We need people who are passionate about this cause and feel deeply involved as we move towards the success of this first of its kind project, a youth-driven policy change movement that will make or mar the way democracy is seen to work in Nigeria by young people.

We need two kinds of volunteers:

The Backbones- These THREE guys will be project managers for ProtectTheCorpers. They will form the technical and strategic arm of the project. These volunteers will be required to have a computer they can use well, time to spare and lots of motivation. We need volunteers who have a degree and at least two years of work experience. It is important that our “backbones” have technical capabilities and are willing to help us build all that is required for this project to be a success.

The Explorers- Our explorers will be the volunteers who realise the objectives of the project. We need 100 people who will get us one thousand signatures each. They will go to churches, university campuses, seminars and conferences to talk about the project and ensure that the signature target is reached.

Volunteers who are based in Lagos will be required to come to The Future Project office at 14 Shofidiya Close, Off Ilesanmi Street, Off Adegoke Street, Masha, Surulere, Lagos. You will need to be able to devote at least 20 hours every week and have to be prepared for the long haul battle that this project will be. This is not a call to the faint-hearted: if you’re the strongest, the most innovative, the most devoted and the most fun, we want you!

Remember, we want 100, 000 signatures. The campaign is not a typical protest, we will be working on a full scale quest to implementing the policy reforms we seek through the institutions that are directly involved in the scheme: the NYSC authorities, the Ministry for Youth and Sports and the National Assembly for the passing of a bill to reform the way the exercise is currently being conducted.

Over the next nine-months, we will be implementing a solution-oriented approach that involves

1) Engaging government on a policy level to restructure and reform the NYSC in order to protect corps members in the interim and then to completely overhaul the scheme in the long term so that it is actually useful to the nation.

2) Supporting this Policy Engagement with a wide-ranging public and media campaign to ensure pressure is sustained on the government.

As soon as the petition gets the target 100, 000 signatures, we will begin an aggressive lobby at the legislature, especially the Senate and House Committees on Youth, towards the deletion of the programme from the relevant section of the Constitution and placing it as an Act of Parliament with a revamped structure, as recommended by the Senate Spokesperson, Ike Ekweremadu.

Please call 08053737313 or email "mailto:protectthecorpers@thefuturenigeria.com" or info@thefuturenigeria.com to sign up and for inquiries.

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Don’t Miss TARUWA Tonight

Don't miss Taruwa tonight at Bogobiri (No 9 Maitama Sule off awolowo road) at 6:30pm. It is a Strictly Amazing Performances show as we pay tribute to the Late Femi Abolade, a Taruwa regular who left too soon.

Join us as we SPEAK today, talking about "Who Will Save The Corpers" in collaboration with REDSTRAT & The Future Awards. Please remember we are KAATing (Kicking Against African Time), plus limited seats are available for y'all. See you soon!

Bogobiri, Maitama Sule, off Awolowo RD Ikoyi Lagos
No 9 Maitama Sule, Off Awolowo road, Ikoyi, Lagos
Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria

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Apologise or resign, #ProtectTheCorpers tells Governor Isa Yuguda

- Asks NYSC to suspend posting of corps members to Bauchi State, as their security cannot be guaranteed

The coalition of groups behind the #ProtectTheCorpers campaign have demanded a full and unreserved apology from the Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, for insensitive statements he made about youth corps members who lost their lives in post-election riots in Bauchi, and other states in the North.

We read with utmost dismay the comments attributed to the Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, regarding the murders of youth corps members in his state. Mr. Yuguda was quoted in the Punch Newspapers (Friday, April 29, 2011) as saying “They (corps members) were destined to experience what they experienced. Nob

ody can run away from destiny. Immediately I handed them over to INEC, it was the responsibility of INEC to protect them. They were not the only ones affected. You cannot hold Yuguda or Bauchi State (responsible) for what happened to those corps members, because it was the responsibility of INEC to take care of them."

#ProtectTheCorpers joins prominent Nigerians from across the country who have condemned the governor’s reckless remarks, including former Attorney-General, Richard Akinjide, who put this issue in perspective by reminding the governor that the Commissioner of Police in the state was responsible to the governor and as such should be taking orders from him. He also reminded the Governor that he is chairman of his state’s Security Council.



“It beggars belief that a governor, who also doubles as the Chief Security Officer of his state, would make such a statement regarding the horrific murders of Nigerian youth on national assignment within his jurisdiction,” said Tolu Ogunlesi of the EnoughisEnough Nigeria Coalition. “We regard Mr. Yuguda’s words not only as proof of an outright abdication of his responsibility to ensure the security of lives and property within his jurisdiction, but also as proof that he is unfit to be trusted with the affairs of managing a Nigerian State.”

Still, it appears that the governor stands by his statement, as on Saturday, his office released a response that emphasised his earlier remarks. Repeating the offending comments, his Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Media/Public Affairs, Sanusi Muhammad, quoted the governor as saying “The death of the corp members was purely an act of destiny. As human beings we should always accept our destiny either in our favour or against our interest. The unfortunate death of the corps members was destined to happen in the course of their service to Nigeria. Every new day is a new experience to all living souls which we must contend.”

We find both statements objectionable and indefensible, and deserving of unequivocal condemnation by all well-meaning Nigerians. We demand a retraction or resignation by Mr. Yuguda, and a public apology to the families of the murdered corps member and to the country as a whole. We call on the Governor’s Forum, of which he is a member, to immediately denounce this statement.

We also call on the management of the National Youth Service Corps to immediately suspend the deployment of youth corps members to Bauchi State. There is no way the lives of youth corps members can be regarded as being secure in a state whose governor confidently tells the world that “they were destined to experience what they experienced.”

On Thursday, 28 April 2011, the #ProtectTheCorpers campaign was launched. The campaign is led by The Future Nigeria Project, in partnership with the National Youth Council, AIESEC, SleevesUp Nigeria, Friends of Aik, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, NigeriaVillageSquare, and the EnoughisEnough Nigeria Coalition.

The campaign has already gathered support across the country, thousands have already signed the petition and the coalition is confident that it will reach its target of 100, 000 signatures.

“This is not a protest,” said Chude Jideonwo, of The Future Project. “This is a policy intervention. We have gone out and voted, and it is time to put government under pressure to act on behalf of the people. The #ProtectTheCorpers campaign is aimed at “implementing a solution-oriented approach that involves working with Members of the National Assembly, the Ministry of Youth and the NYSC authorities to reform the service in order to protect corps members in the interim and then to completely overhaul the scheme in the long term so that it is actually useful to the nation.”

The 7-point demand in the petition includes official identification of “hotspot” states and districts, the establishment of an NYSC Emergency Fund in times of crisis, decentralisation of the command structure so that state governments are in charge of welfare and security, life insurance for corps members, a comprehensive and digitised database of corps members and most importantly, the formation of a National Youth Service Reform Committee to recommend full scale reform of the functions, scope and structure of the programme.

“Mr. Yuguda might not have noticed, but the balance of power just changed hands from politicians to the people in the last elections. Politicians like him should note that there will be consequences for their actions and statements,” the coalition said in a statement signed by the National Youth Council.

The petition and more information on the demands is available on www.thefuturenigeria.com/protectthecorpers.

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