NYSC DG enjoins legal officers, corps lawyers on citizens’ rights

By Ibrahim Mohammed

The Director General, National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, has enjoined legal officers of the scheme as well as corps lawyers to enlighten Nigerians on their rights and responsibilities under the country’s law.

Ibrahim, who stated this in Abuja on Tuesday, while delivering an address at a one-day workshop organized for NYSC legal officers, also urged the legal unit to strengthen its periodic monitoring of Corps Legal Aid activities across the country.

According to him, ‘‘management will continue to support the unit for the attainment of its mandate.’’

Besides, he appealed to NYSC partners and other public-spirited Nigerians to support corps members with a view to sustaining their good works, especially in rendering assistance to the less privileged people in the society.

The Director General, however, ‘‘commended efforts of the legal officers and the cooperation of other stakeholders, who have been instrumental to the achievements so far recorded.’’

Earlier, in his welcome address, the Director, Legal Services, Barrister Ahmed Ibrahim, noted that ‘‘the Corps Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS), is one of the numerous community development groups in the NYSC.

The group Ibrahim added ‘‘is charged with the responsibility of providing free legal assistance and advice to indigent citizens in their host communities. These categories of persons include those who are either unemployed or employed but earn very meagre salary and persons who cannot otherwise afford the service of private legal practitioners.’’

For his part, the Deputy Director, Legal Services, Barrister Jacob Nayaba, in a vote of appreciations lauded the Director General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, for always supporting their activities.
In this vein, Nayaba assured the DG that ‘‘we are ready to support you and ensure that the NYSC move forward.’’

The workshop under the theme: ‘‘NYSC Call for Service’’ brought together legal officers from different parts of the country to brainstorm on the National Youth Service Corps Act, Cap. N84, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Sam Ologunnorisa and former Dean Faculty of Law, University of Abuja, Professor Kassim Waziri, delivered papers on ‘‘NYSC Act and Contemporary Nigeria,’’ and ‘‘Code of Conduct for Lawyers in Public Service’’ respectively.

Ologunorisa, commended the NYSC DG for his continuous efforts to arrest the trend of fake corps members as well charged NYSC members to ensure that they conduct themselves in a manner that will enable them make meaningful contributions to national development during their service year, saying the scheme ‘‘is not a part time business.’’ While, Waziri, charged lawyers in public service to conduct themselves in a manner that promote public service.