Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim
Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, has revealed that corps members were a great source of inspiration to him in his childhood.
The DG made this known on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television, monitored by The Punch.
Ibrahim made this revelation amid calls for the NYSC scheme to be scrapped.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the House of Representatives considered a bill for the discontinuation of the NYSC scheme.
However, according to the DG, the NYSC is a source of inspiration to many, as he stated that the scheme also inspired him as a child.
He said, “When I was a student – I schooled in Benin – we looked up to corps members. We look at the way they dress in their crested vests.
“They served as an inspiration to us because we always wanted to wear those vests.
“My course of study, history, was influenced by a corps member who taught us.
“Not just me, but about five of us chose history because of the corps members who taught us the subject. He was very good. He is from Niger State and served in the then Bendel State.
“So people look up to NYSC as a source of inspiration, stating they want to be graduates, round up their studies, and serve.