Ondo corps members face uncertainty over rejection

 

Scores of the Batch ‘C’ corps members, who concluded their orientation programme at the National Youth Service Corps Camp in Ikare Akoko, Ondo State, on Tuesday, are still roaming the streets of major towns in the state, following  their rejection in various places of primary assignment.

Our correspondent gathered that the corps members were posted to public and private schools across the state, strictly on the instructions from the NYSC headquarters.

However, the corps members in Batches ‘A’ and ‘B’ earlier posted to the state are still serving in most of those schools, hence, managements of the schools had to turn down new postings.

The situation forced many of the rejected corps members to seek employment in private nursery and primary schools.

The initial arrangement, according to sources, was that the management of the schools where they were posted, would arrange for their accommodation and pay them stipend, apart from their NYSC allowance, every month.

The Public Relations Officer of the NYSC in the state, Mrs. Christy Olatoye, said the agency was aware of the pains and sufferings of the corps members.

She told our correspondent on the telephone on Thursday that there was a directive from the national headquarters of the agency that the corps members should be posted to schools.

She said, “We were directed not to post corps members to ministries, agencies or departments of government. Hence the only alternative is for us to send them to schools.”

Asked whether the agency would honour requests from any of the affected agencies demanding for corps members, Olatoye said, “No such letter will be considered because it’s a directive from the headquarters.”

She said, “Corps members who read law could only be posted to the ministry of justice while the medical doctors among them could also be posted to the ministry of health.

“We could also consider those who read agriculture for posting to the ministry of Agriculture while those who read Architecture could also be considered for posting to the ministry of works, lands or physical development” She added.

Olatoye therefore urged the rejected corps members to report to the secretariat of the agency for possible assistance.

She also advised management of schools where the corps members were posted not to reject them in the interest of the young Nigerians.