NYSC tasks corps members on security in Taraba

AUTHORITIES of the National Youth Services Corps (NYSC) in Taraba State yesterday asked all corps members serving in the state to keep away from their places of primary assignments and stay indoors.

In a text message sent to all corps members serving in the state, NYSC asked them to also wait for further directives from the scheme.

Part of the text message sent by the NYSC state Co-ordinator, Zainab Isa, read: “All corps members are directed to stay indoors for the rest of the week except you are informed to do otherwise.”

While Isa was unavailable to comment on the directive, a senior NYSC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated: “Our national headquarters is very much aware of our directives.

“The directive has become necessary because the lives of these young Nigerians serving in this state and in other parts of this country are very much dear to us. It is one way we can prevent them from becoming victims of any form of bomb blast.

“The directive may likely be extended if we discover that the coast is not clear for them to report at their areas of primary assignments.”

Some of the corps members, who spoke with The Guardian on the development, lauded the scheme for the security alert and efforts to protect them.

However, they wondered why they had to endure such uncertainties when the NYSC could simply redeploy them away from the state.

A corps member stated: “How I wish the Federal Government would make it mandatory for all graduates to serve in their states of origin because this bomb blast of a thing is affecting us. The aims and objectives of the NYSC scheme in this country have been defeated. I believe that the scheme should be scrapped because nothing meaningful is coming out of it. Those of us posted to the North are living in fear. If it is not Boko Haram today, it would be religious crisis tomorrow. So tell me, of what benefit is the scheme to us?”

Meanwhile, the NYSC directive has affected businesses running on the strength of the corps members.

A private school proprietor said: “It is good for their lives, but as you can see, my school has been crippled. Ninety-five per cent of my teachers are corps members. About 85 per cent of the private schools in this state use corps members. Majority of us does not employ the services of permanent teachers. We prefer corps members because their services are cheap.”