The Federal Government has set up a committee to carry out major changes to the National Youth Service Corps.

This decision followed rising concerns about the safety of corps members, poor facilities, and whether the NYSC still fits into today’s social and economic realities.

The inauguration of the committee happened in Abuja on Tuesday, with key people from government, civil society, and private businesses in attendance.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the NYSC has played an important role in building national unity and helping young people since 1973.

He said, “The issues of corps members’ safety, infrastructural challenges, and the broader question of the scheme’s relevance in an increasingly dynamic socio-economic environment are among the key concerns. However, these challenges also present opportunities that require urgent, visionary, and determined action.”

Olawande said the committee will look into how NYSC works and suggest ways to make it safer, more creative, and more impactful.

“The outcome of this review must align with broader national development objectives, positioning the NYSC as a strategic tool for youth empowerment and nation-building,” he added.

The committee will review current NYSC policies, talk to people across the country and suggest changes to laws, policies, and how the scheme is run.

It will also come up with better ways to fund, track and improve the NYSC.

The final report will be submitted to the minister within a set time.

Also at the event, the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, said the government planned to start a Teachers’ Corps and a Medical Corps.

These will be for NCE graduates and healthcare workers ready to serve in rural areas.

Alausa explained, “The Teachers’ Corps would help bridge educational gaps and create a pathway to government employment, while the Medical Corps would strengthen healthcare delivery in underserved areas, addressing critical issues such as maternal and child health.”

The Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Usman, stressed the need to improve technical and vocational skills training.

“Such alignment would empower young people to make meaningful, long-term contributions to their communities and to the nation as a whole,” Usman said.

The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded its investigation into the helicopter crash that tragically killed former Access Holdings Plc CEO, Herbert Wigwe, and his family last year.

The crash, which occurred on February 9, 2024, in California near the Nevada border, claimed the lives of Wigwe, his wife Doreen, their son Chizi, and the former group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group), Abimbola Ogunbanjo.

In the final report, the NTSB stated that the probable cause of the crash was the pilot’s decision to continue the flight under visual flight rules (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).

The NTSB explained that the pilot likely experienced spatial disorientation while manoeuvring the helicopter in poor visibility conditions, leading to the loss of control and a fatal collision with terrain.

The investigation further revealed that the helicopter company’s inadequate oversight of its safety management processes contributed to the incident.

The NTSB found that the helicopter company failed to ensure that its pilots accurately completed and updated flight risk analyses, logged maintenance discrepancies, and adhered to Part 135 regulations before departure. These failures were critical in the chain of events that led to the crash.

The report also indicated that during the return flight, the pilot had communicated with the director of maintenance (DOM) via text message about an issue with the radar altimeter, further highlighting lapses in safety protocols.

The report reads, “The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determines the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot’s decision to continue the visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and loss of control.

“Contributing to the accident was the company’s inadequate oversight of its safety management processes, including ensuring the pilots were accurately completing and updating the flight risk analysis, logging maintenance discrepancies, and ensuring the helicopter met Part 135 regulations before departure.

“During the return flight, the pilot texted the director of maintenance (DOM) about the issue. After arriving at the company’s flight operations base, the pilot discussed the issue with the company flight follower (who was also the company’s president).

“A company mechanic performed some troubleshooting on the radar altimeter; however, he was unable to rectify the issue, and the radar altimeter remained non-functional.

“The mechanic reported that the pilot and the DOM were aware that the radar altimeter was not functioning, yet they departed at 1822 on the positioning flight to pick up the passengers.

“About 40 minutes later, the positioning flight landed at the airport to pick up the charter passengers. After arrival, the pilot and flight follower had a phone conversation and exchanged text messages, but they did not discuss the status of the radar altimeter or weather conditions

The leadership of the 10th Senate has postponed the passage of President Bola Tinubu’s tax reform bills to Wednesday (Today) for proper scrutiny and debate.

Recall that the four bills, Nigerian Tax Bill, Tax Administration Bill, Revenue Tax Board Bill, and Nigerian Revenue Service Establishment Bill were forwarded by the President six months ago as part of efforts to reform the country’s fiscal policies and boost revenue generation.

The delay in the passage of the bills had raised concerns, especially after the House of Representatives approved them two weeks ago, putting pressure on the Red Chamber.

In a related development, the Senate leadership resolved to hold a two-day national security summit to brainstorm a solution to the rising wave of killings and other forms of insecurity in the country.

The decision followed a motion sponsored by Jimoh Ibrahim, senator representing Ondo south, at the resumption of plenary on Tuesday.

While on a working visit to France, bandits in a senseless campaign of violence killed innocent Nigerians in Plateau, Benue and Zamfara States, culminating in calls for President Bola Tinubu to cut short his vacation to return home to lead the fight against insecurity from the front.

Leading the debate, Ibrahim said the “high level” of global insecurity is driven by events in Russia and Ukraine and compounded by tensions between the global north and global south.

According to him, the issues have continuously worsened food insecurity and affected the attainment of the sustainable development goals.