NYSC corps members must obey social media laws – DG

By Justina Auta/Folasade Akpan

The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, says corps members are not exempt from Nigeria’s cyberbullying and social media laws during their mandatory national service year.

Nafiu said this during an interview programme with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja, emphasising that corps members remained subject to constitutional provisions and laws regulating online conduct.

According to him, corps members remain citizens of Nigeria and are fully subject to provisions of the Constitution and other extant laws regulating online conduct, cyber activities and public behaviour nationwide.

Nafiu explained that allegations of cyberbullying against corps members would be investigated and handled by relevant law enforcement agencies in accordance with the law, regardless of their status as serving corps members.

He added that the NYSC was not mandated to provide legal representation for corps members involved in criminal or civil matters arising from social media activities and other online engagements.

“The fact that they are corps members does not absolve them from being citizens bound by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If someone says you cyberbullied him or her, the police will arrest you with your NYSC identity card and you will bear that responsibility. I am not funded to provide legal representation for you in court. What we do is engage the Legal Aid Council to monitor proceedings,” Nafiu said while explaining the scheme’s responsibilities.

According to him, the Legal Aid Council can provide pro bono legal services for corps members where necessary, particularly in situations requiring legal support during investigations or proceedings before competent courts.

Nafiu said the scheme had intensified sensitisation campaigns to educate corps members on responsible use of social media and digital communication platforms amid growing concerns over cyberbullying and online misconduct.

“The rule of the game has changed. You cannot just go online calling out people because someone can accuse you of cyberbullying,” Nafiu warned corps members.

He, however, noted that the NYSC had adjusted its communication strategies to reflect changing realities among younger Nigerians participating in the national service programme across different states and communities nationwide.

Nafiu said the scheme was not opposed to content creation by corps members but encouraged responsible and lawful online engagement, particularly among younger Nigerians participating in the mandatory national service programme.

“By the end of this year, we will be mobilising only ‘Generation Z’ graduates and we understand the environment they operate in. We know this generation loves content creation and we are not against content, but there must be proper context and responsible engagement,” he said.

Speaking on election duties, Nafiu described corps members’ participation as ad hoc staff as an important contribution to democratic governance and national development through support for credible electoral processes across Nigeria.

“It is more noble to serve as election ad hoc staff than merely casting your ballot because you are facilitating credible elections for millions of Nigerians,” Nafiu said.

He urged corps members to view election assignments as opportunities to contribute directly to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic institutions and governance processes through active participation in credible and transparent electoral activities.

Nafiu also commended the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, for donating mobile clinics to support the scheme’s medical outreach programmes aimed at improving healthcare delivery within underserved rural communities nationwide.

According to him, the mobile clinics had improved healthcare delivery during outreach activities by providing facilities for scans, consultations and basic medical tests in underserved communities across Nigeria through the programme.

“Those mobile clinics have consulting rooms and facilities for scans and tests that we previously referred beneficiaries elsewhere to conduct,” Nafiu explained while discussing improvements in healthcare outreach activities.

He explained that the clinics were mainly deployed to underserved rural communities as part of ongoing efforts to expand access to healthcare services and medical support for disadvantaged Nigerians across the federation.

“The objective of our outreach is to reach the unreached and less-served rural dwellers with healthcare initiatives and medical support,” Nafiu said while discussing the goals of the NYSC healthcare outreach programme.

Nafiu, however, said logistics challenges had limited deployment of the mobile clinics to distant states across the federation because transportation required specialised arrangements, technical support and additional operational funding nationwide for smooth movement.

According to him, the clinics were currently stationed in Abuja because moving them over long distances required specialised transportation arrangements and additional operational costs beyond the scheme’s available logistical capacity and support.

“We can conveniently move them to nearby states like Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger, but taking them to places like Lagos involves major logistics requirements,” Nafiu explained.

He explained that transporting the mobile clinics to distant locations required the use of flatbed carriers and extensive technical support, making deployments to remote states difficult and financially demanding for the scheme.