by Emmanuel Chidiogo

Gabriel Ibe, the Oyo State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has announced that the management of the corps will no longer post corps members to crisis prone areas in the country.

He made the announcement in Ibadan on Thursday when he led top members of his staff to visit to the wife of the state governor, Florence Ajimobi

Ibe said each state coordinator had been directed by the management of the corps not to post any corps member to any crisis prone area in the country, adding that the directive would take effect with the next deployment of corps members on July 7.

He noted that the security and safety of lives of corps members had been the major challenge of the scheme in recent time, stressing that the NYSC was taking appropriate steps to secure the lives and property of corps members

posted to the state.

Ibe said the visit was to felicitate with Ajimobi on the victory of her husband in the April governorship election, and to also formally introduce the scheme to her. He assured her of NYSC’s readiness to assist the state in the area of manpower development.

“We have a large resource of manpower in all disciplines, either in the areas of charity and entertainment,” he said. “We are ready to serve and ensure that Oyo State benefits immensely in whatever area you want to utilise us.”

Responding, Ajimobi decried the recent loss of lives of some corps members in the violence that erupted in some parts of the country, stressing that such incident would have been averted in a pro-active manner.

She urged the NYSC to ensure that the safety of corps members was guaranteed and taken seriously in any part of the country.

“Corps members have always been very helpful, and so, we must encourage and give them the opportunities to serve,’’ she said.

This article first appeared in www.dailytimes.com.ng

Oluwapelumi