JULY 19, 2011
By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi
IN the wake of the brutal murder of 10 corps members in Bauchi State, many parents, especially in the Southern part of Nigeria, had vowed not to let their children serve in the state if they are posted there by the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC. As far as these parents were concerned, Bauchi was no longer a safe place to live, especially if you are a stranger.
This was a sentiment shared by several other people in the country, including many state government officials in the South. So, it was not surprising when there arose strident calls that the NYSC should not post corps members to Bauchi State.
But the state government had moved to douse the anger and tension generated by that ugly incident by assuring concerned parents that it was committed to protecting the lives of corps members under its care.
As if the NYSC has indeed taken the government’s words for it, 633 young graduates were posted to Bauchi State to participate in the 2011/2012 Batch ‘B’ service year. The NYSC state Coordinator, Mr Ibrahim Tzihe, confirmed that 620 corps members were registered for the exercise.
The corps members recently swore an oath of allegiance at the NYSC Wailo Orientation Camp in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of the state where government once again assured them of adequate security in the state throughout their service.
The State Governor, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sagir Aminu Saleh, said: “The State Government is using this occasion to acknowledge the sacrifice made by corps members during the recently concluded general elections, to the extent that some of them paid the supreme price.
We want to assure corps members that the perpetrators of the hideous crime shall all be brought to justice”.
The Governor who noted that activities of the NYSC scheme have positively affected the socio-economic development of the country, stressed that the scheme has served as a unifying factor for religious, ethnic and cultural differences.
But in spite of these words of comfort, most of the corp members present wore worried faces.
When Vanguard Metro spoke to some of the visibly troubled corps members, they strongly appealed to the Bauchi State Government to provide adequate security measures to safeguard their lives during the service year.
They expressed mixed feelings about their posting to Bauchi State, with most unable to hide their fear of the tragic fate that befell some of their colleagues during the April post-election violence.
The corps members said that even though it was impossible to change what had happened in the past, they were still sceptical about the ability of government to protect them from attack, particularly in the local government areas, where, it is alleged, most of the violence took place.
Modesta Ugo, a Batch B corps member from Kogi State said she was initially not happy when she was posted to Bauchi State for her service year, but had to accept her posting as the will of God for her life.
She said: “It took me time to come in terms with fact that I was being posted to a state where some of my colleagues lost their lives. Even though we do not pray for evil, I pray I complete my service year without problems”.
The corps member called on all the security agents in the state to provide maximum security for corp members so that they will not fall victim to blood-thirsty miscreants.
Another corps member, Bode Oloruwajun from Ondo State, said he initially intended to apply for a change of posting to another state, but had to change his mind following persuasions from his parents to take his posting to Bauchi in good faith.
“I changed my mind because my parents persuaded me to serve in Bauchi. They told me that it is only God that can guarantee adequate security and I should be prayerful,” he said.
But Josephine Michael said she intends to apply for redeployment back to Abuja, because she did not feel secured serving in the state.
According to her: “I just feel insecure here, so I must work my redeployment to where I feel safe. My parents are in support of this”.
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