By Olamide Francis
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig- Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, has issued a directive to all NYSC state and FCT coordinators to ensure strict compliance with COVID-19 prevention and safety protocols in all camps and other formations of the scheme nationwide.
According to a statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Adenike Adeyemi, the director-general gave this directive while interacting with the management of the scheme and officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) during a virtual meeting held as part of preparations for the conduct of the forthcoming Batch “B” Stream II orientation Course scheduled to commence on the January 19.
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Gen. Ibrahim who expressed profound gratitude to the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the NCDC for considering re-opening of orientation camps noted that corps members are critical change agents in the national development agenda as their potentials will continue to be effectively harnessed in the health, education and other vital sectors of the national economy.
He added that “necessary facilities that will enhance compliance with COVID-19 prevention and safety protocols have been provided in the camps while prospective corps members and camp officials will all be subjected to COVID-19 tests as a precondition for entry into the orientation camps.”
The NYSC director-general said corps vanguards and enforcement teams have been constituted for all the camps, as a measure to ensure strict compliance as well as support the national response efforts in stemming the tide of the new wave of the pandemic.
The NCDC team led by Dr Oyeladun Okunromade in their various presentations during the meeting described the NYSC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a functional model, currently being considered for replication in other sectors to enhance community testing, thus, safeguarding the health of the nation.
Dr Okunromade expressed satisfaction with the facilities put in place to enhance compliance with the COVID-19 prevention and safety protocols in the previous orientation programmes and called for increased vigilance and cooperation to consolidate the successes already recorded for subsequent orientation exercises.
