DG: 95% of Deaths of Corps Members Due to Road Accidents

NYSC mourns dead corps members

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has said 95 per cent of the deaths of serving corps members is due to road accidents.

This is coming as the agency has directed its offices across the country to fly the national flag at half-mast in respect of the corps members who died in Taraba State.The Director General of NYSC, Brig. Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, said this while addressing corps members in their orientation camp in Katsina State yesterday.

“Several serving corps members have been embarking on unnecessary journeys that lead to their death. “From the records before the Directorate, several corps members have lost their lives, while on fruitless journeys.

“Several serving corps members had been involved in road accidents due to the poor nature of Nigerian roads. “For several years, Nigerian roads are death traps and corps members should only embark on necessary journeys.

“I am calling on serving corps members that have concrete reason to travel to always seek the permission of NYSC officials,’’ he said.

Kazaure called on serving corps members to always patronise government hospitals if they were sick.

Earlier, the Katsina State NYSC Coordinator, Hajiya Ramatu Sanda, called on the NYSC management to provide more vehicles to Katsina State office.

Sanda said so far, 2, 076 corps members had registered for their orientation in the state and advised them to participate actively in all the orientation programmes.

She commended the Katsina State Government for providing assistance to the state NYSC.

In another development, the NYSC said its entire staff members were shocked and saddened by the cruel twist of fate that befell its corps members who drowned as a result of the sudden increase in water volume and surge of the River Mayo-Selbe, near the Gashaka falls in Gashaka Local Government Area (LGA) of Taraba State.

Seven bodies have so far been recovered from the river by the local divers and security agents while the search for the remaining two missing corps members is ongoing.

The organisation has declared a three-day mourning for the souls of our departed heroes, beginning from August 6 during which NYSC flags nationwide would fly half-mast.