NYSC: 28 corps members to repeat service year in Ogun State 

ABEOKUTA- Ogun State National Youths Service Corps, Thursday, passed out, amidst Coronavirus pandemic, no fewer than 4, 250 Corps members belonging to the 2019 Batch B stream I with 28 either having their services extended or to be remobilised.

The ceremony which was low key devoid of the usual fanfare took place at the twenty local governments areas of the State and three sub offices across the State.

Daily Independent which monitored the exercise in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital observed that deserving Corps member were made to observe the international protocol of use of facemask and hand washing before they are allowed to collect their certificate of national service.

Corps members who were not with their facemasks were turned back from approaching the distribution tables while each of them were made to perform the hand washing exercise from points provided by the leadership before approaching the points for their collection.

Speaking with newsmen at the headquarters of the Scheme in Ogun, the State Coordinator, Dr Belinda Faniyi explained that the Corps members have been serialised with their codes for the event which will take place for ten days.

Dr Faniyi further explained that the national headquarters of the Scheme has obtained permission for Corps members who might want to come for the exercise from other states or those going back to their various states.

The State co-ordinator, while speaking to the media said, “The Corps member of 2019 Batch B stream I are passing out today, there are passing out in the midst of covid-19 pandemic, and we are also aware that there is restriction of movement especially in Lagos, Ogun and FCT. But that is not stopping us from going on with the passing out.

“The passing out, because of the pandemic is low key and devoid of usual fanfare. But, be it as it may we have a good number of corps members around to pick their certificates of national service and as we do that we also assured that they adhere strictly to the covid-19 pandemic protocol.”

“The management of NYSC has also deemed it necessary; because we know that corps members are from various parts of the country would want to move down to pick their certificates. There is an instruction from the Inspector General of Police because the NYSC DG is collaborating with Police to give cover to the corps members.”

“The directives have been sent from Inspector General of Police to all the commands and to the Federal Road Safety Corps nationwide. And we have also mobilised officers of Security and Civil Defence Corps for the security of the Corps members in all the 20 local governments and all sub-offices in Ogun State.

“What we did, so that the measures put in place for the measures put in place for COVID-19 to be effective and strictly adhered to is that Corps members have been serialised through their code numbers, they are serialised and the distribution of the certificate has been spread over a period of 10 days and where necessary, it Can be more than that.”

“Each day, we could have 100 Corps members on a line of 10 Corps members maintaining social distancing and all the Corps members; before they came we have been able to reach them through various platforms to put on their facemask and sanitizers in all the locations, while we have also provided hand washing equipment in all the centres. The exercise so far has been seamless.”

“We have told them that those who cannot make it after the covid-19 pandemic, they can always pick their certificates of national service.”