The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Y.D. Ahmed, has asserted that his primary mandate is to protect all corps members serving in all the nooks and crannies of the country.
To this end, the Director General sought the assistance of all the major security agencies in Ondo State, who are members of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, to ensure that corps members engaged by INEC as adhoc staff are protected before, during and after the governorship election.
The Director General, who was represented by the Director, Corps Welfare and Health Services, Mr. Omotade Ayodele Folorunso Benjamin, said that the focus of the country was on the corps members who had obeyed the clarion call to serve the nation, and pleaded that priority attention should be given to the patriotic graduate youths.
Speaking separately to the heads of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Omotade said that the parents and guardians of the members of the service corps released the graduate youths to them on trust and it was important for the managers of the scheme at all levels to act in a manner suggestive that NYSC was competent to protect them.
“In as much as we want to ascribe absolute security to God Almighty, we should be seen as responsible corporate bodies that we are, and ensure that these young Nigerians are protected at all times, and especially during the sensitive assignment such as election. I covet your protection for these illustrious and future leaders of this great country,” he pleaded.
He thanked them for standing in the gap and always willing to support the youth organisation, which is regarded as a flagship programme in sub-Saharan Africa.
“I have been adequately briefed by the State Coordinator for all the massive roles you have been playing which no doubt have assisted the scheme to be on top of the situations at all times. The quality officers and personnel your organisation avail NYSC during orientation course programmes has shown that you indeed want us to succeed in the herculean task of moulding and mentoring the younger generations. We are indeed very grateful.”
He continued, “I equally want to crave your indulgence to assist NYSC to secure the Corps Lodges and other residential buildings occupied by corps members throughout the state during this period, so that hoodlums and miscreants in the society will not loot their belongings and other valuables while they are on INEC assignment.”
Omotade briefed the security agencies on the level of preparedness of the scheme towards the gubernatorial election and said that NYSC had conducted sensitisation exercise in all the 18 local governments of the state for the 6233 corps members that would be engaged as adhoc staff by the INEC.
Welcoming the representative of the NYSC Director General to his office, the Brigade Commander, 32 Artillery Brigade, Owena Cantonment, Akure, Brigadier General John Rimbut Lar, disclosed that NYSC is a product of the Nigerian Army, and they would continue to see to the security and welfare of corps members serving in the state.
General Lar, who confessed to having affinity and special regards for the scheme, said that protection of the territorial integrity of the nation was their primary responsibility, and that included protecting all the citizens from both internal and external aggression.
In his remarks, the Commissioner of Police, Ondo State Command, CP Abayomi Peter Oladipo, said that NYSC made someone like him, and his command was fully prepared to provide adequate security for all the personnel engaged by INEC, with a promise to beam the radar of the command on the corps members.
The Commissioner of Police said that Nigeria Police Force placed much value on the lives of the citizens in which corps members were regarded as important strata of the society.
At the Command Headquarters of the Department of State Services, the State Director of Security Services, Mr. Muhammed Saidu Hussain, informed the representative of the Director General that his command had mapped out strategic surveillance on all Registration Area Centres, RACs and Polling Units, Pus, across the local governments.
He informed his guest that operations of the command were both conventional and non-conventional, saying that there was no cause for alarm, asserting that his men were ready to protect the lives of everyone that would be involved in the election.
The State Commandant of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Prince Oluyemi Joshua Ibiloye, pledged the commitment of the corps to ensure that the security of the corps members engaged by INEC would be the utmost priority of his command.
Ibiloye said that NYSC remained on the front burner of his administration.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ondo State, Oluwatoyin Oluwatoyin Babalola said that INEC had completed the arrangement to transport all the adhoc staff and materials to Registration Area Centres, RACs, as soon as possible so that corps members on election duty could rest very well ahead of the election.
She assured NYSC of adequate security and protection for corps members throughout the period of the election.
