The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, has warned that corps members are not exempt from Nigeria’s cyberbullying and social media laws during their mandatory national service year.
Nafiu stated this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, stressing that corps members remain Nigerian citizens and are fully subject to the Constitution and other laws regulating online conduct, cyber activities and public behaviour.
According to him, allegations of cyberbullying against corps members would be investigated and handled by relevant law enforcement agencies, irrespective of their status as serving corps members.
He said the NYSC was not mandated or funded to provide legal representation for corps members involved in criminal or civil cases arising from social media use or other online activities.
“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.
The NYSC DG explained that the Legal Aid Council may provide pro bono legal support where necessary, especially in cases requiring legal assistance during investigations or court proceedings.
He added that the scheme had intensified sensitisation campaigns to educate corps members on responsible use of social media and digital 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,” he stated.
Nafiu, however, said the NYSC was not opposed to content creation by corps members, but insisted that online engagement must be responsible, lawful and properly contextualised.
“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 the participation of corps members as ad hoc staff as an important contribution to democratic governance and national development.
He said serving as election ad hoc staff should be seen as a noble assignment because corps members help facilitate credible elections for millions of Nigerians.
“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,” he said.
The DG urged corps members to see election assignments as opportunities to contribute directly to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic institutions and governance process.
Nafiu also commended the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for donating mobile clinics to support the NYSC’s medical outreach programmes in underserved rural communities.
He said the mobile clinics had improved healthcare delivery by providing facilities for scans, consultations and basic medical tests during outreach activities.
“Those mobile clinics have consulting rooms and facilities for scans and tests that we previously referred beneficiaries elsewhere to conduct,” he said.
According to him, the clinics are mainly deployed to underserved rural areas as part of efforts to expand access to healthcare services for disadvantaged Nigerians.
“The objective of our outreach is to reach the unreached and less-served rural dwellers with healthcare initiatives and medical support,” Nafiu stated.
He, however, disclosed that logistics challenges had limited the deployment of the mobile clinics to distant states, explaining that transporting them required specialised arrangements, technical support and additional funding.
Nafiu said the clinics were currently stationed in Abuja and could be moved conveniently to nearby states such as Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger, but transporting them to distant locations such as Lagos would require major logistical 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,” he said.
The NYSC, established in 1973, is a Federal Government scheme created to promote national unity, integration and development through mandatory one-year service by Nigerian graduates across the country.
