National Assembly Finally Approves N4000 NYSC Online Registration Fee
Its is unsurprising that despite the initial call by the National Assembly for the suspension of the payment of the N4000 registration fee by Corpers; the house has made a U-Turn and finally approved the payment of the N4000 online registration fee for prospective youth corpers.
According to Leadership, the House of Representatives has finally approved the controversial N4,000 online registration fee for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members. The decision reverses earlier House resolution urging the NYSC to suspend the policy following public outcry against the fee.
Chairman, House Committee on Youth Development, Kamil Akinlabi made the disclosure during a media chat at the National Assembly. Akinlabi explained that the fee will service a private sector driven build, operate and transfer agreement. He said the registration equipment will be installed at the NYSC offices nationwide.
The contractor handling the project is expected to recoup its investment within five years, Akinlabi stated at the briefing. The lawmaker said the process was approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement with a certificate of no objection. Akinlabi said, “From the onset, when the matter was brought to our attention, the first thing we felt was the way you are feeling but after constructive engagement, we discovered that it was an innovation that we can’t run from.
“First, it was not the responsibility of the NYSC to mobilise respective corps members to get their call-up letters, it is the responsibility of the parents. If somebody schooled in Lagos but lives in Kano and to get his call-up letter he has to travel to school, you discover that its time consuming, risky and very expensive.
“So what the NYSC has done is to partner with a consultant that is already handling similar projects for JAMB and WAEC that has eliminated similar risk to partner with them through a PPP arrangement. The PPP arrangement will be on Built, Operate and Transfer.
“The contractor would be responsible 100 per cent for the purchase and installation of every gadget that will be necessary to achieve that in all the 36 headquarters including FCT and in all local government headquarters as well as all orientation camps across the country.
On September 30, federal lawmakers launched an inquest into the controversial N4,000 online registration fee and consequently urged NYSC to suspend the policy.
Looks like the N4000 registration fee has come here to stay and prospective corpers just have to pay unless as Nigerian we know what would happen next.
