WHY WE BANNED PREGNANT WOMEN, NURSING MOTHERS – NYSC BOSS

Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps
(NYSC), Brig-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, yesterday gave further
insight into last week’s decision of the service to ban
pregnant women and nursing mothers from enlisting for the
programme, saying the decision was to make the scheme
more effective.
The DG spoke with newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara State, during
inspection of facilities at the Nigerian Army School of
Education (NASE), Sobi Barack ahead of the NYSC staff
promotion examination.
As part of the visit, Olawunmi paid a courtesy call on the
Commander of the 22 Armoured Brigade in Sobi, Brig-Gen.
Ali Nani as well as the Commander of NASE, Brig-Gen.
Lawal Abdullahi.
Addressing reporters after the inspection, the DG said the
service would immediately begin implementation of the ban
to stop a situation where “the NYSC would be managing
pregnant women and nursing mothers.”
He also tasked state governments to improve their support
for the service, noting that the interventions from governors
are dwindling.
He maintained that NYSC had not banned pregnant women
and nursing mothers from the scheme but that they could
only enlist after delivery.