The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, has stated that corps members are not immune to Nigeria’s cyberbullying and social media regulations during their one-year mandatory service.
Nafiu made this known on Thursday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, stressing that corps members are still bound by constitutional provisions and laws governing online behaviour.
He explained that corps members remain Nigerian citizens and must comply with existing laws regulating cyber activities, social media conduct, and public behaviour across the country.
According to him, any allegation of cyberbullying involving corps members would be investigated and handled by relevant law enforcement agencies in line with the law, irrespective of their NYSC status.
He also clarified that the NYSC is not responsible for providing legal representation for corps members involved in criminal or civil cases linked to social media activities or 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 outlining the scheme’s responsibilities.
He added that the Legal Aid Council could offer pro bono legal support to corps members when necessary, especially during investigations or court proceedings.
Nafiu noted that the scheme had stepped up awareness campaigns to educate corps members on the responsible use of social media and digital communication platforms amid increasing concerns over online misconduct and cyberbullying.
“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, said the NYSC had modified its communication approach to align with the realities of younger Nigerians participating in the service programme nationwide.
Nafiu explained that the scheme was not against content creation by corps members but encouraged responsible and lawful online engagement.
“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 involvement of corps members as ad hoc staff as a significant contribution to democratic governance and credible electoral processes in 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 see election assignments as opportunities to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions through active participation in transparent electoral activities.
Nafiu also praised the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, for donating mobile clinics to support the scheme’s healthcare outreach initiatives aimed at underserved rural communities.
According to him, the mobile clinics had enhanced healthcare delivery during outreach programmes by providing facilities for scans, consultations, and basic medical tests in underserved communities nationwide.
“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 medical outreach.
He said the clinics were mainly deployed to rural communities 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 said while explaining the programme’s goals.
However, Nafiu noted that logistics challenges had restricted the deployment of the mobile clinics to distant states due to transportation requirements, technical support, and operational costs.
He explained that the clinics were currently stationed in Abuja because moving them over long distances required specialised transportation arrangements and additional funding.
“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 further stated that transporting the mobile clinics to far locations required flatbed carriers and extensive technical support, making deployment to remote states difficult and expensive for the scheme.
NAN reports that the NYSC, established in 1973, is a federal government initiative created to promote national unity, integration, and development through the mandatory one-year service of Nigerian graduates across the country.
