KATSINA – The Katsina State Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Alhaji Ahidjo Yahaya said corps members involved in last Sunday’s ghastly motor accident that claimed lives of three and several others injured, travelled without obtaining permission.
This was as he warned corps members fond of traveling without permission to steer clear noting that unnecessary traveling without permission attracts punishment.
The coordinator gave the warning during the swearing in ceremony of the orientation course for the 2019 Batch B Stream II corps members numbering about 1,502 (621 males and 881 females) deployed to the state.
Yahaya said the punishment could be in form of extension of service year or remobilization (repeat of the service year).
He said on it part in the state is to write the report and send to the headquarters where they would decide the punishment.
According to him, “Most of the journies by the corps members, 60% or 70% are done without permission. And we have been warning them and we would continue to warn them.
“Traveling without obtaining permission is there in the Act establishing the NYSC since 1973, it was amended and it is still there. There are various punishment for various offences. It is there in the Bylaw. It depends on days you spent. It can lead to extension of service year, remobilization (repeat the service year), it depends on the gravity of the offence that you commit. There are various offences viz a vis there punishment. They are there in the bylaw.
“The last Sunday’s ghastly motor accident involving our corps members traveling to Funtua was not with permission. They went to Funtua without permission,” the state coordinator said.
It would be recalled that a ghastly motor accident involving 12 corps members in a vehicle carrying the inscription “National Association of Catholic Corps members” and on their way to attend a mass wedding in Funtua area of the state left three dead on the spot while nine sustaining degrees of injuries.
The state coordinator said less than five of the corps members were still receiving treatment at the hospital while arrangements are on top gear for the burial rites of the three who lost their lives in the accident.
“We have bought three caskets and they are there in the General hospital. We would be conveying them to their various homes by Saturday for their burial. We are footing the expenses of the burial arrangements. We are sending a powerful delegations which includes Senior officials of the NYSC and Senior officials from the Catholic from Bishop Kuka to accompany the corpses to the various destinations as we have also made arrangements with our other colleagues in those places to join them and receive the corpses while we stay back to take care of those in the hospital.
“All corps members were insured by insurance company. So any corps members who died during service year, the family or next of kin will be given N1million,” Yahaya said.
The State Coordinator however said the deceased corps members were from Ebonyi, Imo and Delta states respectively.
Meanwhile, declaring the orientation course open, the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Hussaini Dangani called on the corps members to shun corruption, other social vices to embrace integrity and be change agents.