NYSC N4,000 Call-Up Fee Optional, DG Tells Reps

The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brig-General
Johnson Olawumi, told the House of Representatives on Wednesday that
the controversial N4,000 charged corps members for call-up letters
would remain optional.

He said the fee was strictly for the printing of the letters and not
for accessing the online portal of the agency.

Speaking at the hearing of a petition on the matter by the House
Committee on Public Petitions, the DG claimed that the agency opted
for the online portal owing to growing cases of fake call-up letters
flooding the society.

Olawumi told the committee that the policy resulted from a Private
Public Partnership which started in 2013 after Sigma, the partner,
emerged as the preferred bidder from a list of 49 firms.

The DG explained, "Corps members are supposed to pay more than N4,000
and we want the process to be optional.

"It is an optional thing and the process will remain optional as far
as the agreement subsists with Sigma.

"Even if the price crashes to N100, it will continue to remain optional."

He added that at the close of portal, 124, 831 corps members had
registered online.

However, he stated that only 23, 211 paid for the printing of the letters.

But, a group, Say No Campaign, which led the protest against the fee,
insisted that there was no justification for the it.
--PUNCH