By Hafsah Tilde
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, has advised parents and guardians to provide adequate transport funds for prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps across the country.
He gave the advice during News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum on Wednesday in Abuja, while also warning corps members against night travel and engagement with fraudulent agents promising preferred postings.
“It is better for parents and guardians to provide extra transport money for their children to break journeys safely than expose themselves to danger,” he said.
Nafiu said some corps members exhausted their transport fares on single trips and refused to stop over even when journeys became unsafe, exposing themselves to avoidable security risks.
He said that even small additional funds could prevent serious incidents, including kidnappings and ransom demands, which sometimes occured when travellers insist on completing long journeys at night.
The director-general urged corps members to begin preparations immediately after receiving call-up numbers and avoid last-minute movement that could compromise their safety during mobilisation exercises nationwide.
“We tell them not to travel after 6 p.m. Once it is getting late, they should break their journey and continue the next day,” he said.
Nafiu said the scheme had strengthened collaboration with security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and the military, to provide escorts, patrols and intelligence support along travel routes.
He added that corps members were sometimes escorted through difficult areas, while checkpoints and surveillance were intensified to ensure safe passage to orientation camps across the country.
The director-general also cautioned against paying money to individuals claiming influence over postings, stressing that deployment was generated automatically through an established system.
He explained that only legally married women and corps members with verified medical conditions were considered for special postings closer to families or health facilities during national service. (NAN)
