NYSC Sends Corp Members Home, Shuts Down Orientation Camps Over Fear Of Coronavirus

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on Wednesday shut down all its camps and suspended ongoing orientation course for its corps members nationwide due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Batch A orientation camps for graduates started just last week, March 10, 2020, and were supposed to last for 21 days.

But corps members in the camps were surprised when they were told in the middle of the night that they should go home because the camps had closed due to the coronavirus crisis.

The Lagos State NYSC Coordinator, Eddy Megwa, told corps members during Wednesday morning meditation on the parade ground to leave the orientation camp as soon as possible.

“We have been asked to close down all orientation camps and discharged the corps members to their various places of primary assignment,” Megwa said.

He said the abrupt ending of the camp was part of preventive measures taken by NYSC against the spread of deadly coronavirus in the country.

Megwa told corps members that the directive was passed to all the state coordinators early this morning to indefinitely shut down all orientation camps across the country.

“All corps members should avoid travelling, getting free rides from strangers, which could be detrimental to your lives,” Megwa told the corps members.

“You are expected to go back to your different residential address pending the time when all dust will be settled over this coronavirus.

“I want to believe it is to avert anything that could endanger the lives of the corps members and the staff of NYSC.”

Meanwhile, a statement from the NYSC management which was posted on its Facebook page on Wednesday morning reads:

“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.

“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, Thank you.”

Coronavirus disease has claimed over 6,000 lives and affected about 150 countries in three months.

Nigeria recently confirmed the third case of the deadly disease, and the infected is a 30-year-old Nigerian lady who returned from the United Kingdom on Friday.