FIC Report (Oyo State) – The students of Polytechnic schools in the country has called on the management of the Nigerian National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to consider accommodating Polytechnic students, who had graduated through part-time programmes in the national youth service.
The call was made today, Monday, February 17th, in Ibadan by the leadership of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), in its efforts towards championing the importance of Polytechnic education in the country.
Calling on the federal government and other relevant stakeholders, the group tasked the government to find a lasting solution to the non inclusion of the part-time Polytechnic students into National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) mobilization.
The NAPS leadership also condemned the recent hike in price of data by the telecommunication service providers, and thereby called for a reversal of data price.
Addressing journalists at the Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, the Capital City of Oyo State, the NAPS President, Comrade Oyewumi Fetus, noted that the leadership of NAPS will stand firm against any form of oppression blocking the part-time Polytechnic students from NYSC mobilization and the hike in data rate by the MTN and other telecommunication companies.
Comrade Oyewumi further said that NAPS will resist all forms of intimidations from any quarters in their bids to fight for the part-time Polytechnic students towards ensuring that they are duly mobilize for NYSC. He promised also that the students would for the reversal of the hike of data price as recently increased by the telcos operators.
According to Oyewumi, the leadership of NAPS would, however, continue to partner with the government and all other agencies for the progress of Nigeria, saying that in this, “the leadership of NLC have our full support in this struggles”.
Addressing the Press, NAPS president said “We are giving the federal government ten days ultimatum to reverse their decision on this issue of hike in data tariff and also address our demand on NYSC mobilization for the part-time Polytechnic students.
“Failure to address our demand within the stipulated period of ten days we will commence nationwide protest, we are fully ready for this and we are well prepared for it, no going back, unless our demands are duly addressed.” Oyewumi said.
Oyewumi further said, “our dispensation(sic) will not relent in promoting the Polytechnic Education. The recent issue of Part-time Students that were denied entry into NYSC Camp and stop mobilizing them has become a serious issue that need urgent attention from the Director General of NYSC, the NBTE and Minister For Education.
“It is our strong believe that NBTE and the Minister for Education including some relevant stakeholders are on the same page regarding this subject matter, but the resistance from the DG NYSC has to resolve, the NAPS leadership has been pushed to a tight corner to unleashed a “Mother of All Protest” to the NYSC Headquarters if this issue is not duly addressed as we demanded.
“This NYSC scheme was designed to give joy to the fresh graduates by exposing them to diverse cultures and traditions, as well open an avenue for networking, languages, entrepreneurship, development among many others, but in the recent time the part-time polytechnic Students were been denied of this privileged, we are using this medium to call on the Chief of Staff to the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria to call the DG NYSC to order before we mobilize all the Polytechnic Students across the country for a ‘Mother of Protest’ that will hit major streets and NYSC offices across the country.
“There is going to be total lockdown, we have the strength, we have the number, Part-time students have been partaking in this scheme for years why sudden change and denial. It should be on record that the requirement for mobilizing polytechnic students for NYSC is HND full time and not OND, the DG NYSC should take note of this.” Oyewumi said.
Oyewumi however lauded the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun for his proactive in response to security challenges in the country, especially in the tertiary institutions across the country.
He also commended President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for all the mouthwatering welfare packages for tertiary institution students through the office of the SSA on Students Engagement to the President, Comrade Asefon Sunday.
While commending Seyi Tinubu, NAPS President said, “the love shown to Nigerian Students by Seyi Tinubu is massive and very rare in recent times, the donation of food items and N100 million to the North East Students that were affected by flood has proven that some leaders can still be trusted if given opportunity to serve.
“We can’t do without data, after the school activities, we will need to do research and other assignments, and we can’t do all these without an active data, most of us are struggling to sponsor ourselves to school, and now that the data is not avoidable we can’t do most of our assignments and research, we can’t afford this recent hike in data tariff, government and other stakeholders should consider us”, he said.
Also speaking at the press conference, Miss. Odeyemi Boluwatife Racheal, the SUG Secretary of Federal Cooperative College Ibadan, pleaded that the Federal government and other stakeholders, should consider the requests of the Polytechnic students as a mean to court the youth of the country.
Signed
Moses Oyelade,
AD(I&PR), FIC, Ibadan.
