NYSC says no plan to reopen orientation camps

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), on Thursday, denied plans to reopen orientation camps across the country in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was reacting to a leaked internal circular, which it said, was aimed at guiding the post-COVID-19 operations of the orientation camps.

The scheme in a statement, issued and signed by the Director of Public relations, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, stressed that it would only return to camp when it is “very safe.”

“To put issues in proper perspective, it is appropriate to state that the National Youth Service Corps will only return to the orientation camps when it is very safe to do so, in view of the danger posed by COVID-19 pandemic which is still very formidable,” it said.

It reiterated its commitment to the safety of corps members, camp officials as well as other stakeholders, saying this led to the initial suspension of the 2020 Batch “A” stream 1 orientation programme in March 2020.

“To reinforce the foregoing, it is apt to add that even when it has been sufficiently established it is safe to proceed to the camps for the resumption of normal activities, the corps shall only do so when it has received the nod of the Federal Government,” it added.

To this end, it urged corps members and prospective corps members to glean information concerning the scheme only from NYSC official sources – social and mainstream media.

“The Director-General, NYSC, Brig-Gen Shuaibu Ibrahim, admonishes corps members and prospective ones to continue the strict observance of COVID-19 safety protocols, predicated on social/physical distancing, wearing of face masks, proper washing of the hands for at least twenty seconds, and use of hand sanitiser,” the statement added.