Why NYSC is shutting down orientation camps nationwide
Amidst the spread of coronavirus in Nigeria, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, announced on Wednesday morning that the Federal Government is shutting down the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camps across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Dare in a post via his Twitter handle explained that the government took the decision to abruptly shut down the orientation camps and send thousands of corps members to their respective Place of Primary Assignments (PPAs) as part of precautionary measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The minister tweeted: “Today across the country, the NYSC Orientation camps will be closed and Youth Corpers will be paid and sent to their places of primary assignment. This again is a precautionary measure on the part of the government to check the spread of COVID-19. The DG NYSC will provide details.”
The shut down is coming just nine days into the 21-day orientation exercise for the 2020 Batch ‘A’ stream one corps members. The camp opened on Tuesday March 10, 2020 and was supposed to close on Monday March 30.
A statement by the NYSC management disclosed that no camp officials or corps members have contracted the virus, and said the corps members would be asked to return to the orientation camps when the situation in the country improves
“Sequel to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic which led to the cancellation of the national sports festival, management of the National Youth Service Corps Scheme wishes to announce the suspension of the on-going orientation course for the 2020 Batch “A” stream 1 corps members,” NYSC said.
The statement added:
“Therefore, the corps members shall be posted to commence their primary assignments forthwith, while they shall be invited back to the orientation camps when the situation improves, just like it happened a few years ago when the nation was confronted by the Ebola virus threat.
“Management wishes to state that no corps member or camp official has contracted the virus.”
This is not the first time the NYSC orientation course would be halted due to a pandemic case. In 2014, NYSC suspended orientation programme for Batch ‘B’ stream two corps members in six northern states due to the outbreak of Ebola virus in the country.
States affected then were Adamawa, Bauchi, Jigawa, Borno, Gombe, and Yobe States.
The 2014 Batch ‘B’ stream two corps members who were already posted to their respective PPAs in September were recalled in November to join Batch ‘C’ corps members at the orientation camps to undergo the compulsory 21 days orientation course.
Nigeria recorded its first case of coronavirus on Friday February 28th, 2020 and has since increased to eight as at Wednesday March 18, 2020.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced five new cases on Wednesday via its official Twitter handle, while another suspected case has also been reported in Katsina State by the state’s ministry of health.
While the country’s coronavirus index case has recovered, the six new cases (one on Tuesday and five on Wednesday) all have a travel history to the United States and United Kingdom, the NCDC said.
