NYSC Warns Corps Members On Travel Risks, Urges Parents To Fund Safe Journey

(The DG of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu. Photo Credit: NYSC)

The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Olakunle Nafiu, has urged parents and guardians to ensure that prospective corps members are given sufficient transport funds for their journeys to orientation camps across the country, cautioning that inadequate funds can put young people in unnecessary danger.

Speaking at a forum organised by the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, Nafiu advised that it is far safer for parents to provide extra money so that corps members can break their journeys and rest along the way, rather than push through under unsafe conditions.

He explained that some corps members run out of transport money midway through long journeys and press on regardless, even when travel conditions have become risky.

This, he said, exposes them to serious security threats including kidnapping and other dangers associated with travelling at night.

The NYSC Director-General also advised corps members to begin preparing for camp immediately upon receiving their call-up numbers, urging them to avoid last-minute travel that could compromise their safety.

He was particularly emphatic that corps members should not travel after 6pm, and that anyone caught on the road as night approaches should stop over and continue the journey the following day.

Nafiu noted that the NYSC has deepened its collaboration with security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and the military, to provide escorts, patrols and intelligence support along travel routes, ensuring safer movement to orientation camps.

He also issued a strong warning against fraudsters who claim the ability to influence postings, clarifying that deployment is handled automatically through an established system and is not subject to external manipulation.

He added that only legally married women and corps members with verified medical conditions are eligible to be considered for special postings closer to their families or relevant health facilities.