Joel Ajayi

The Management of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), on Wednesday, revealed that no staff of the scheme or prospective corps members died of Coronavirus in any of the orientation camps across the country, against the falsehood reports from some section of media.

The Director General of the Scheme, Brig.Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, cleared the air on the unfortunate death of one camp official that died of COVID-19 in Kano state on the Channel news track on Wednesday morning.

When he was asked if any NYSC official died of COVID-19 in Camp, he replied: “Its not true that a NYSC staff died in camp.

In line with PTF and NCDC guildelines, all prospective corps members and camp officials that are invited for the orientation exercise were duly tested. Its mandatory that all must be tested and those that are negative were allowed into the camps and those that are positive were taken away by NCDC officials and state head officials for treatment, and that was what happened.

“As for the concerned official who died, just like every pospectives corps members who tested postive, he was taken away by the NCDC officials to Kano State isolation center, and it was so unfortunate that he passed on at the isolation center, not in the camp.

“In every fora, either through PTF or NCDC press briefing, I am using this opportunity to clear the air that only those who tested negative were allowed into the camp. When people reported that numbers of Corps Members tested positive in the camp, I say here that it’s not true, only negative people are in camp, those that are tested postive are taken away by the NCDC.

” I am happy to tell Nigerians that so far, we have not recorded any mortality among our corps members and staff except this one, and it didn’t happen in the camp
but at isolation center in Kano.”

When asked, what do people want to gain in bringing the reputation of the scheme down through the falsehood report? He expressed that, “I dont know what is the problem, it beats my imagination, I have said it times without numbers, we are strictly following NCDC and PTF guildelines. I want Nigerians to know that not only NYSC are in camp at moment, NCDC is also involved.

“Our orientation camps are encolsed, and its only those that are negative are in camp. The news fly around that numbers of corps members tested postive in camp, it is not true. Please Nigerians should get to know, I don’t know what people want to gain, its false information.

“Visit our camps, we are the first agency that went to NCDC to give them our modalities for reopening of camps and they looked at it critically along with PTF and approval was granted by federal government, with the understanding of COVID-19 by the Scientists and also, with the introduction of the Rapid Diagnostics Test (RDT) test kits. This is what we are using, and all these things were provided by NCDC, our members were trained in all of these and except you are negative, you will not be permitted into camp.

“I visited more than 7 camps, I was tested along with my officials; NASS members that visited our camps on oversight functions were also tested.

“National governing board members who visited our camps were also tested. Therefore, Nigerians should get to understand and disregard this falsehood.”

The NYSC DG therefore, appealed to to Nigerians to continue to have faith in the scheme adding that, no effort will be spare to ensure safety of every corps members. “I want to appeal to Nigerians to have faith in what we are doing,and that the orientation camps is run by both NYSC and NCDC as well as PTF and we adhere stritly to the guildelines.” He said.

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