By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

About 400,000 corps members are set to benefit from a new federal government scheme called YouthCred.

The initiative, a partnership between CreditCorp Nigeria and the NYSC, aims to provide affordable consumer credit to serving corps members.

According to Dada Olusegun, Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Social Media, the scheme is designed to promote a culture of good credit among young Nigerians.

He noted that the beneficiaries can access loans ranging from N100,000 to N150,000 to sort out urgent needs like clothing, mattresses, phones, and basic furniture.

Dada added that the loan will be repayable during the service year at a single-digit interest rate, making it accessible and manageable for corps members.

According to him, Before loan approval, applicants will be educated on credit scores and responsible borrowing to build financial literacy.

He states that President Tinubu’s administration hopes the program will reshape attitudes towards credit before corps members enter the workforce.

The SA also confirmed that the federal government has already set aside N6 billion for the rollout of the YouthCred scheme.

He said the implementation will start with financial institutions already working with NYSC, and full rollout is expected within the next 12 months.

The statement reads, “As part of efforts to promote good credit culture among young Nigerians starting with corp members, @CrediCorpNG in collaboration with NYSC will be launching a new scheme called “YouthCred”.

“YouthCred is an initiative that will offer affordable consumer credit to corps members.

“Corp members in need of quick cash to sort urgent bills like clothing, mattresses, mobile phones, basic furniture etc that will help them settle down in the new PPAs, will be able to access up to credit facilities of N100,000-150,000 and repay same over the course of their youth service at a single digit interest rate.

“The essence of a good credit score and how it works will be taught to interested corp members before final approvals are granted.

“This is part of President Tinubu’s administration’s efforts to instill values among the young populace and change the narrative about credit even before entering the workforce.

“An initial N6bn has been reserved for this purpose with the launch expected anytime soon.

“Rollout of YouthCred will begin with partner financial institutions that already work with NYSC and related agencies.

“The initiative will target 400,000 corp members over the next 12 months.”

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Kano State Police Command agents have detained 18-year-old Saudat Jibril on suspicion of killing her husband, 30-year-old Salisu Idris, in the state’s Farawa community just nine days after their wedding.

According to a statement from SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, the State Police Command spokesperson, the suspect “allegedly cut off her husband’s throat, with a sharp knife.”

He said, “The victim was rushed to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, where he was confirmed dead by medical personnel. The suspect has been apprehended and is currently in custody at the Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Homicide Section, and will be charged to court for the offence of culpable homicide.”

March 28, 2025
Community members claimed that Saudat may have poisoned her husband before stabbing him during an altercation, while the exact circumstances of the death are still unknown.

According to reports, Saudat and Idris’ marriage, which was consummated on Sunday, April 27, 2025, ended on Tuesday, May 6.

The marriage was planned by relatives of the couple and lacked mutual affection between both parties. It was said that the dead had voiced concerns regarding the union. Family members, however, convinced him to go ahead with the marriage.

The public was reassured by the Command that it will carry out exhaustive investigations to guarantee that justice is done.

… insists it’s political

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The National Secretary of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-cultural Association, Saleh Alhassan, has claimed that politicians are the real cause of the crisis in Plateau State, not herders.

He made the claim on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he spoke about national security and the farmer-herder conflict.

He spoke against Defence Headquarters comments that foreign herders were behind attacks in Plateau, Benue, and other parts of the country.

Recall that the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, made the statement on Thursday during a media briefing in Abuja.

However, Alhassan dismissed that explanation, calling it “misleading” and “politically motivated.” He said: “The notion and narrative of foreign herders is a distraction. It is a continuation of efforts to deny Nigerian herders their citizenship and a major challenge to achieving peace, especially concerning the farmers-herders conflict.”

On the Plateau crisis, he said: “I schooled and grew up in Plateau, so I know the root causes of these crises. The recent conflict in Bokkos, for instance, started over a motorcycle theft, not grazing or land use. But suddenly, every conflict is labelled a farmer-herder clash.”

He also stated: “If Governor Caleb Mutfwang wants to be sincere, he knows this conflict is political.

There is a clear agenda to expel herders from Plateau State. His political godfather, former Governor Jonah Jang, has been a driver of that narrative, and it has been renewed again.”

Speaking further, he said: “Peaceful herders have no business with banditry. But when governors abandon conventional law enforcement and empower ethnic militias, injustices are committed against herders. In such a setting, herders resort to self-help.”

“We are heading into another election season, and suddenly conflicts are being reignited and mischaracterised as herder-farmer clashes. In Plateau, for instance, this is not even the cropping season, yet such narratives are being pushed. These are pretentious statements. Treat criminals as criminals, treat bandits as bandits.”

Our herders are not armed. What we have are armed bandits in our forests, who are mistakenly or deliberately labelled as herders. We’ve lost many herders and thousands of cattle, yet we’re still accused as the perpetrators.”

“Most of the images we see of armed herders are not even from Nigeria.” And concluded: “There are no foreign herders in North Central Nigeria. What exists in some border communities are bandits and criminals, not genuine herders.”

He accused authorities of ignoring the suffering of herders.

It’s always convenient for security agencies to blame us to avoid engaging in deep conversations that address the root cause of these issues. Let them parade those arrested and show us their nationalities. It’s not just about Fulfulde, Fulani or the language they speak.”

He admitted the difficulty of tracking herders, saying their nomadic lifestyle makes it hard, even though the association keeps a register.

To resolve the issue, Alhassan said integration of livestock across the country should be implemented.

His comments come amid renewed violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, including recent attacks in Bokkos and Bassa LGAs in Plateau State, which claimed over 100 lives in April 2025