NYSC DG assures of sustenance of corps free legal services to indigents

Brig.-Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, the Director General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has assured that the Service would strengthen the Corps Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS) in order to boost free legal services to the less privileged.

Kazaure spoke on Wednesday in Benin, at a workshop organised by the NYSC for youth corps lawyers and legal officers.

He said that CLAS was designed specifically to assist the less privileged members of the society to have access to free legal services.

Represented by Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, Director, Legal Services, Kazaure noted that the scheme had achieved landmark successes, adding that there was need to sustain the tempo.

The director general said that the workshop would provide a forum for the evaluation of the scheme’s activities.

“I want to reiterate the commitment of the NYSC to sustaining CLAS and strengthening its activities.

“I therefore call on the legal unit of the Corps to strengthen its periodic inspection of CLAS across the country and henceforth, the annual legal workshop shall be two days of business session as against the current one day,’’ he said.

He noted that this would enable many legal and other issues to be exhaustively discussed by participants.

The Director, Legal Services, in his remarks said that the workshop was aimed at bringing together corps lawyers serving in different parts of the country.

Represented by Mr Israel Nayaba, Deputy Director, Legal Services, Ibrahim said the workshop would also afford legal officers the opportunity to refresh their minds on the rudiments of the legal practice.

He said that CLAS was one of the numerous community development groups in the scheme, adding that it was charged with the responsibility of providing free legal services to indigent citizens in their host communities.

Mr Abdullahi Yusuf, Edo Coordinator of NYSC said that the role of corps lawyers in facilitating judicial process among the less privileged could not be over emphasised.

The theme of the workshop is “National Youth Service Corps and the Administration of Justice.”