The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has cautioned employers against ill treatment of corps members in areas of primary assignment.

Sokoto State Coordinator, Alhaji Usman Yakubu-Yaro, made the call on Monday at the 2025 corps employers’ workshop with the theme “The Role of Employers”.

Yakubu-Yaro advocated for maximum security and welfare of corps members by employers in order to encourage productive service.

He lamented the increasing cases of rejection of corps members and aiding them to stage-manage their own rejection, as well as underutilizing them and delays in the issuance of monthly clearance to deserving corps members.

He added that another lapse being experienced is the delay in requests for corps members by some employers.

The coordinator added that abscondment of corps members, ill-treatment in the workplace, lack of support for corps members’ Community Development Service (CDS) projects and lack of accommodation were among the hitches being experienced.

He explained that the corps employers’ workshop served as an avenue for exchanging ideas on the improvement of NYSC operations.

Yakubu-Yaro stressed that NYSC remained committed to fulfilling its objectives, as much had been achieved, adding that the scheme was a veritable tool for promoting national unity and accelerated socio-economic development of the nation.

“Since the inception of the scheme, the NYSC Management/Corps Employers’ Forum has enabled both parties, who are critical managers of corps members, to enhance the corps members capacity for effective engagement,” the coordinator said.

According to him, stakeholders should always consider young men and women in national service as change agents and key contributors to the development of the country.

In her remark, NYSC Governing Board Chairperson and the Permanent Secretary of the Sokoto Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, Hajia Hadiza Galadima, reiterated the state government’s commitment to corps members’ welfare and safety at all times.

Galadima urged employers to live up to expectations in their responsibilities to corps members and the NYSC.

The resource person, Dr Okoro Robertson, from Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, described corps employers as important tools for moulding corps members’ productive lives.

Robertson cautioned authorities against redeploying or posting corps members to places of their wish without cognitive reasons.

He said such a move serves to counter the development of the scheme’s objective of national unity and integration.

He advised NYSC to post corps members where they would be accepted and cared for and to ensure they monitor their performance.