From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
After about 18 months of sojourn and 11 orientation camps activities at a temporary camp inside Government College, Kurmi Marshi, Kaduna North local government area of the State, all is now set for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to return to its permanent orientation camp at Kilometre 16 Kaduna-Abuja highway, Chikun local government area of the State.
The Sun Newspapers reports that following a piece of security advice emanated from Kaduna State Security Council Meeting in mid-2021, the Governing Board of the Scheme relocated the camp activities in the state to the Government College, Kurmi Marshi, pending the time the general security situation of the area would improve.
That temporary measure became necessary due to the intense activities of bandits terrorising communities along the ever-busy but deadly Kaduna-Abuja highway where several people have been kidnapped, killed, and displaced including some students of Greenfield University.
About 2,000 2021 Batch ‘B’ (Stream 1) prospective corps members deployed to Kaduna State by the NYSC in August 2021, were the first to have their orientation course outside the permanent site several years after the camp was moved from Zara to Kaduna.
The current batch (2023 batch A stream 1) is expected to be the last orientation course that would be held outside the permanent site by February 14, according to the Commissioner, Ministry of Human Services and Social Development, Hafsat Mohammed-Baba.
The Commissioner, who clarified her earlier statement at the swearing-in ceremony at the weekend via a telephone call said, the State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has directed the NYSC to return to the permanent orientation camp because “it is now secured”.
According to her, the scheme is now awaiting the approval of the General Officer Commanding, 1-Division Mechanised Nigerian Army to ask his men to vacate the camp ahead of the next camp activities.
“We are hoping that by the time this batch completed its camping activities at the temporary site on February 14, we should be able to relocate back to the permanent site because everything is being put in place.
“We are only waiting for the GOC to give a directive so the soldiers there other than those that will provide security at the camp can vacate the place.
“I’ve also written to the governor to scale up the fence and dig ditches (obstacles) around the fence which he has directed the commissioner for urban development to get money from the security wallet to ensure that is done which I’m sure she should have been able to execute before February 14”, she said.
However, a credible security source who spoke in confidence said the Police, Department of State Security (DSS), and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have given the scheme green light and now awaiting the decision of the concerned officer of the Nigerian Army ahead of the next orientation camp.
A total of 790 2023 batch ‘A’ (stream) deployed to the state comprised 515 females representing 65.1% and 272 males representing 34.9% were officially sworn in by the governor at the weekend.