From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
About 2,000 2021 Batch ‘B’ (Stream 1) prospective corps members deployed to Kaduna State by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) would be having their orientation course at differlocationstion other than the permanent orientation camp located in Sabon Gaya along Kaduna-Abuja highway.
The new temporary orientation camp is Government College, Kurmi Marshi, inside Kaduna town and less than two kilometres from Kaduna State Government house popularly known as Sir Ibrahim Kashim House.
Findings by Daily Sun revealed that the relocation became necessary due to intense activities of bandits terrorising communities along the ever-busy but deadly Kaduna-Abuja highway where several people have been kidnapped, killed and displaced including some students of Greenfield University.
This relocation may be one of the reasons Kaduna state is commencing this batch’s orientation course a week behind schedule – that is, starting on August 3 while other states are sworn-in their corps members a day before.
Speaking to Daily Sun in Kaduna on Tuesday, Commissioner, Ministry for Human Services and Social Development, Hajiya Hafsat Mohammed-Baba said, the state government decided to relocate the camp based on security advice.
According to her, “we took them to the Government College for their safety because that area has recorded banditry issues and since the children are now on vacation, the school is identified to be the most suitable for this batch’s orientation course.
“That was why the governor directed to repair the accommodations and other essential facilities in that school to make the place comfortable for them for the corps members, NYSC staff and security – all windows, doors, boreholes that broke down have been fixed by the responsible agency of the government.
“All the orientation activities will now be observed at this new location. When they finish the orientation, they will be posted to their places of primary assignment as the tradition demands.
“This will continue until we get clearance from the security. Before the relocation, we have stopped them from farming to improve visibility because we don’t want to take chances since these children will be coming from all over the country”, she explained.