According to a Vanguard News report, The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has officially barred pregnant women, nursing mothers and postgraduate students from enlisting in the country’s national service until they are free to participate effectively.
This was mentioned during a two-day pre-mobilization workshop for the 2015 Batch “B” NYSC programme held in Kaduna, by the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig-Gen. Johnson Olawumi. He cited that the exemption of these individuals from national service was because they would not be able to take part in the NYSC’s four cardinal programmes: mobilisation, orientation, primary assignment and winding up or passing out parade.
It has also been resolved that pregnant women and children will no longer be given entry into orientation camps across Nigeria under the scheme established by the Gen. Yakubu Gowon administration in 1973.
Olawunmi argued that it is essential for prospective corps members to undergo the four stages of national service to qualify to receive their NYSC certificates. He deemed it faulty that some members – especially pregnant woman and nursing mothers – would be absent during the initial stages only to emerge for posting to places of primary assignment.
