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Banky W explains why he thinks the NYSC should be optional.
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Banky W says NYSC should be optional, shares his reasons.
Olubankole Wellington, a.k.a. Banky W, has outlined the benefits of making the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Nigeria optional rather than compulsory.
The musician expressed his thoughts in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, claiming that the NYSC programme has not accomplished everything it was intended to since its inception.
In his words, “I don’t know if there is anybody that will disagree that NYSC probably does not achieve everything it was originally designed for today, so how do we reform it? Don’t cancel it, let’s remove it from the constitution and make it optional, the people who do not need it will go.”
Banky noted that making the programme optional would increase serious participation and provide a more substantial salary for those who were interested.
“Now you can pay those interested more so instead of paying them N30,000 monthly which does nothing for a young person in Nigeria today. We can pay them N60 – N80, 000,” he said.
He claimed in the interview that his desire to serve others is what motivates him to run for the National Assembly seat representing the Eti-Osa federal constituency.
The actor-turned-politician, who is running for the office on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform in the 2023 election, believes that changing the narrative is more successful when one is already in the system.
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Even though activism and advocacy are excellent, according to Banky W, they are insufficient.
“So, we have to get into the system to be able to fix it from within,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday. “That is really what inspired me some years ago to start changing my focus.”
For the actor, his wealth of experience in advocacy and entrepreneurial skills are great foundations to power his sojourn into politics.
“I strongly believe that the problems in Nigeria are from the top down but a lot of the solutions are from the bottom up,” he added.
“So, we need to start focusing on the different levels – getting people into government at different levels – and being the change that we want to see from within. So, that is what informed my journey into politics.”
Banky W also promised to lead reform initiatives in education and health if he is elected. According to him, being a member of the National Assembly will give him a better platform to do so.
“As a people, we chase innovations pretty well but we need reforms. And reform can only happen when you put reform-minded people at the table of policymaking and government,” Banky W maintained.
He is confident that with the people of Eti-Osa behind him, securing a House of Representatives seat is a sure banker.
“The people of Eti-Osa are standing with us,” he continued, arguing that “what we represent is a chance for Eti-Osa to have transparent, accountable, and empathetic representation and that is what we bring to the table. I am very confident (of winning).”
Banky W is a major contender in the coming 2023 elections.
He joined the PDP, where he got a ticket to contest the National Assembly election in the Eti-Osa Federal Constituency, Lagos.