NYSC reforms undermine national defence policy, Benue lawmaker warns

A member of the House of Representatives, Chief Philip Agbese.

A member of the House of Representatives, Chief Philip Agbese, has faulted the recent Federal Government-approved reforms to the National Youth Service Corps, warning that some of the changes could erode the scheme’s core objectives and undermine Nigeria’s national defence policy.

Agbese, who represents Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency in Benue State and is the leader of the Labour Party in the state, called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend implementation of the reforms and instead, constitute a broader committee to review them.

The lawmaker made the call in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.

A member of the House Committees on Youth and Defence, Agbese described the NYSC as “A national institution that has played a critical role in fostering national unity which should not be restructured in a manner that compromises its founding ideals.”