The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, has debunked media reports of rising cases of COVID-19 in the 37 orientation camps across the country.
The Director, Press and Public Relations of the organization, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi revealed this in a statement.
According to her, “Management wishes to once again reiterate that there is no COVID-19 positive Corps Member in any of the 37 Orientation Camps of the Scheme spread across all the States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory”
Mrs Adenike also said that before the commencement of the ongoing Orientation programme, the Scheme in collaboration with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) tested all the prospective Corps Members reporting to the camps and those that tested positive to COVID-19 were handled by the NCDC.
“No one, both staff and Prospective Corps Member that tested positive to COVID-19 was allowed into any of the orientation camps, therefore, it is erroneous and misleading to talk about rising cases of COVID-19 in the NYSC Camps”
She clarified that “it is pertinent to state that the terminology, ‘prospective Corps Member’ should not be confused with Corps Member as both cannot be used interchangeably”
According to her, a Corps Member is a qualified Nigerian youth who has been duly admitted into the NYSC Orientation Camp, registered and formally sworn-in as a bona fide member of the service Corps.
Mrs Adenike, therefore advised members of the public to disregard such misleading story and assured that the scheme will never shirk its core responsibility of prioritising the welfare and security of Corps Members.
By Ene Audu
