By ZAKAA LAZARUS
The Director General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has expressed the Scheme’s desire to partner with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) towards decentralising and simplifying the registration process for National Service.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu.
General Nafiu said that the current registration process, which many have complained about, required foreign-trained graduates to travel to the country for registration and prospective Corps Members to spend unduly long periods of time at designated cyber cafes in order to enlist for service.
The NYSC Chief Executive said that as a responsive organisation and in tandem with modern technological trends, the Scheme hoped to develop an application which would enable prospective Corps Members to register from their devices, anywhere in the world.
General Nafiu said that the challenge for the Scheme in this regard was biometric capturing, but expressed hope that as the custodian of Nigeria’s identity and data, NIMC would synergise with the NYSC, and enable the Scheme to harness the necessary biometric input from its data bank.
The NYSC Director-General was speaking with the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, when he visited her office in Abuja.
He said the initiative, which would be implemented in collaboration with NIMC, was aimed at simplifying the registration process and eliminating the pressure associated with visiting cybercafes to complete online registration.
He explained that the new arrangement would also address some of the challenges associated with biometric capturing, which occasionally affect the registration process for prospective Corps Members.
The NYSC boss described NIMC as a leading institution in data and identity management, noting that the partnership would strengthen the Scheme’s efforts to ensure that prospective Corps Members have verifiable identities.
He reaffirmed the Scheme’s commitment to leveraging emerging technologies to improve its operations and enhance service delivery.
General Nafiu commended NIMC for its efforts towards ensuring that every Nigerian was registered and had verifiable identities. He offered the services of the NYSC towards the success of the endeavour.
He expressed confidence that the next NYSC online registration exercise would be conducted seamlessly, enabling prospective Corps Members to register from the comfort of their homes.
General Nafiu further noted that the collaboration would help provide reliable identity data for effective planning and national development.
The NIMC Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, pledged the Commission’s support for the initiative, saying it would ensure that every eligible Nigerian youth could access registration services in a conducive digital environment.
She explained that NIN holders who download the NINAuth application would be able to complete their registration processes from the comfort of their homes.
Coker-Odusote noted that the digital identity platform would also support registration for examinations and other services, including WAEC, JAMB, NECO, NYSC, and international travel.
She applauded the NYSC Director-General for his initiatives, empathy, and exemplary leadership while assuring him of the Commission’s commitment to maintaining a cordial and productive working relationship with the Scheme.
