The management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has abruptly ended the three-week compulsory orientation course for corps members and directed the closure of all the orientation camps nationwide.
The action was taken in reaction to the spread of the dreaded coronavirus which has resulted in over 7, 000 deaths and more than 182, 400 persons infected globally.
The directive, issued from the NYSC headquarters in Abuja Wednesday morning disrupted the orientation of the 2020 Batch A Stream 1, across the 37 centres in the country.
The Lagos State NYSC coordinator, Mr. Eddy Megwa, who broke the news to corps members during morning meditation on the parade ground, asked the participants to leave the orientation camp as soon as possible.
“We have been asked to close down all orientation camps and discharged the corps members to their various places of primary assignment,” Megwa said.
He said the abrupt ending of the camp was part of preventive measures taken by NYSC against the spread of deadly coronavirus in the country.
He said the directive was passed to all the state coordinators early today to shut down all orientation camps across the country indefinitely.
“All corps members should avoid travelling, getting free rides from strangers, which could be detrimental to your lives,” Megwa told the corps members.
“You are expected to go back to your different residential address pending the time when all dust will be settled over this coronavirus.
“I want to believe it is to avert anything that could endanger the lives of the corps members and the staff of NYSC,” he said.
NYSC had on March 12 performed the swearing-in ceremony for the 2020 Batch A, Stream 1 corps members, who came into the orientation camps on March 10 and were expected to leave on March 30.
The Stream 2 corps members were expected to resume camp on April 2.
It was gathered that all corps members would receive their transport allowance and letters for their places of primary assignment, as well as their identity cards before leaving the orientation camps.
Meanwhile, the southwest coordinator of the scheme, Mr. Attah Emmanuel said the service had planned ahead of the emergency closure of all camps across the country and posted corps members for their primary assignment.
“We planned ahead of this time and we have taken the decision to close all camps in the best interest of the nation and that of our corps members as well as staff members.
“I can confirm to you that all our corps members have been posted to their respective places of primary assignment and we have also rushed through some of the orientation programmes,” he said.
He revealed further that the directive from the headquarters was for all camps to be closed by Wednesday across the country.With The Guardian, NAN reports
