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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The management of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has denied a misleading publication that it issued queries to over 200 corps members on the allegation of skipping Christmas Carol.
Acting Director, Information and Public Relations of the scheme, Caroline Embu, in a statement issued in Abuja, emphasised that corps members are at liberty to practice any religion of their choice, as allowed by the constitution of Nigeria without cohesion.
She, however, disclosed that only the weekly Community Development Service (CDS) and monthly General Community Development Service (GCDS) are part of the major activities that all corps members must partake in.
The statement read in part: “NYSC wishes to draw the attention of the general public to a misleading publication by an online medium on the above subject matter. It is pertinent to note that corps member are at liberty to practice any religion of their choice, as allowed by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without cohesion.
“Additionally, the weekly CDS and monthly GCDS are part of the major activities that all corps members must partake in, throughout their service year, without which they are not qualified to collect the Certificate of National Service.
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“For the purpose of clarity, the affected corps members in Atiba did not participate in their scheduled CDS activities and were also absent during the December 2024 headcount that was conducted to ascertain the number of corps members on ground in Atiba.
“Furthermore, they were also not in their respective places of primary assignment within the local government during the period in question. Disturbingly, they all failed to obtain the written permission of the NYSC Oyo State Coordinator to travel outside the State between December 16, 2024 and January 6, 2025.”
Explaining the circumstances surrounding the incident, Embu said: “The queries issued to them by the Local Government Inspector, serves as a corrective mechanism in the scheme and has nothing to do with the alleged Christmas Carol.
“As a matter of fact, the NYSC, as a responsible organisation, operates within the confines of the bye-laws which not only guide the activities of all corps members but also stipulates penalties for every offence.
“The management hereby reiterates its open door policy of good media relationship with members of the press towards a balanced reportage of NYSC activities and programmes, instead of publishing unverified and misleading information about the scheme.
“Members of the public are, by this release, enjoined to disregard the online publication with its erroneous intent to cause unnecessary religious apprehension among the public.”
