The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Brigadier-General Johnson Olawumi says the safety of corps members is non-negotiable since they need to be alive, strong and healthy before they can effectively contribute to national unity and economic development in the country.
Olawumi was speaking over the weekend when he visited a corps member, Oluwagbenga Babatunde, who was involved in an auto crash on his way to an orientation camp. He is currently on admission at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) in Benin, Edo State.
In the words of the NYSC boss, “Safety of corps members is paramount to us at NYSC and is non-negotiable. We will continue to do everything to keep corps members safe and secure and we will also continue to respond promptly to anyone of them who is in distress in any form.”
While conceding the importance of the national, Olawumi averred that the lives of corps members were much more important, thus, positing that the national service should not be at the expense of the well-being, safety and lives of corps members.
“In fact, it is only those who are safe, healthy and alive that can serve the country effectively,” he added.
The Director-General was in Benin in furtherance of his tour of NYSC orientation camps for 2014 Batch C, which opened on 4th November when he was told that Babatunde, with Call-up Number: NYSC/LUT/2014/246634, was involved in an auto accident alongside five other corps members on their way to NYSC orientation camp in Bayelsa State.
The other victims of the accident who sustained minor injuries have since been discharged while Babatunde had to undertake surgery for fractured bone.
“I decided to come here personally to wish him quick recovery, to show that the country places a lot of value on the security and the lives of these young people and to show that we appreciate the enormous sacrifice and contributions they are making for and to the country,” a concerned Olawumi noted.
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