18 NYSC members killed on way to camp – Minister

Minister of Youth Development, Bolaji Abdullahi said yesterday that 18 NYSC members were killed last Tuesday on their way to camps across the country.

The minister, who spoke during the flag off of the 2012 NYSC Batch A skills acquisition sensitization training programme, explained that 18 corps members traveling from Imo to Taraba for their NYSC orientation exercise lost their lives in a motor accident.

He said that the issue of resuming within twenty four hours after issuance of call up letters would no longer be the case. The minister therefore sought for the review of the camp resumption deadline.

He said the review will enable intending corps members prepare and give them enough time and space to resume and get to the various states of posting before the closing of the camp.

“We will look into the review of the resumption time so that those to be mobilise will prepare and resume to the camp before closing of the camp without having to rush to meet up with the deadline. The exercise will start right from when final result of those to be mobilise is released from their various institutions,” the minister said.

He however disclosed that federal government starting from the 2012 Batch A corps members, will start an agro business grant to support and train graduating corps members going into agric business.

Abdullahi said, “Federal government in collaboration with TY Danjuma foundation will be giving grant of between two to three million naira (N2 to N3m) to corps members for agro business with the condition that the corper must go through a 14 days training programme and it must be in connection with another four to five corps members.”

The minister further reiterated the scheme’s plan to shut out oil coys, banks and National Assembly from posting corps members to serve there as well as stopping of preferential posting.

“As I earlier disclosed during the unveiling of the new NYSC policy, our corps members will only be posted to areas like agriculture, education, rural health and infrastrusture in order to achieve some of the MDGs while corpers will only be posted preferentially based legitimately on marital, medical and disability ground, adding that anyone found wanting or lying about those grounds would be punished appropriately,” he said.

Earlier, Mrs Linda Amugo, NYSC FCT Co-ordinator, said the under-utilisation of youths in the country had affected its economic growth, which had been the cause of youth unemployment and poverty.

She said that the skill acquisition training was aimed at inspiring youth corps members to develop entrepreneurial spirit during and after the service year.

SOURCE: dailytrust.com.ng