Diplomat says it’ll address unemployment and inadequate security personnel
By Kola Alhassan
Erstwhile Foreign Affairs Minister, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi has suggested that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme should run for two years. This, he said, would address unemployment and lack of adequate security personnel.
In a statement, he noted that country needed adequate security personnel to tackle insecurity.
Akinyemi quoted the United Nations (UN) as saying the country needs close to 1.5 million policemen.
“We are terribly under-staffed. Even the United Nations has said that Nigeria needs close to 1.5 million policemen. We have about 400,000 policemen now. So, that is why the military has been brought on the streets of Nigeria, manning roadblocks, getting involved in dealing with kidnappers, bandits and so on because we don’t have enough policemen,” he said.
To jerk up the nation’s security personnel, the diplomat proposed the establishment of a ‘National Guard’ which would include Corps members,thus their service year would be for two years for them to have military training.
The diplomat said: “Let us start a National Guard. And to me, if I were to be in position to order it, I would ensure that the period for Youth Service Corps would be increased to two years. That mops up the issue of unemployment of graduates, two years. The second year is for a military training and as soon as they finish that, you draft them into the National Guard.”
Akinyemi,who lamented that the military is stretched, urged government to boost manpower in security agencies, provide more funds, give adequate training to those recruited and retire people who are incapable.
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