The House of Representatives has launched an investigation into the contentious N4,000 online registration fee which the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, proposes to charge prospective corps members.

The lower house urged NYSC to place on hold the policy after lawmakers upheld the request of a motion moved by Hassan Saleh.

The lawmaker in his debate stressed that the policy is insensitive and exploitative.

“As laudable as the idea of sending call-up letters through the internet may be, the decision requiring fresh graduates to cough out N4,000 to access letters appears insensitive and exploitative”. Saleh said.

The Deputy Speaker of the House, Emeka Ihedioha, who presided over proceedings directed that the committee on youth development and the sponsor of the motion be summoned to be part of the panel that will conduct a session on the issue.

Many Nigerians have vehemently criticised the N4,000 fee but the NYSC has come out to raise a defence for itself, stressing that the computarisation of the process was aimed at reducing the stress that prospective corps members go through in collecting call-up letters.

The decision to computarise the mobilisation process starting with the 2014 Batch ‘C’ mobilisation process was reached at the 2014 NYSC Annual Managemnt  Conference held in Calabar.