The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has said all its camp clinics have been equipped with necessary items for the medical personnel to properly handle any suspected Ebola patient, should such case arises. Brigadier General Johnson Olawumi, Director-General of the Scheme, stated this during his visit to Delta State NYSC Orientation Camp, Issele-Uku, saying the scheme was in touch with all state Commissioners of Health to integrate NYSC Camps into their contingency plans in case of any suspected outbreak of Ebola or other communicable diseases. On security issues, the NYSC helmsman stated that the scheme and the various states of the federation were part of an integrated framework geared towards ensuring the safety of corps members throughout the service year in any community where they serve. He disclosed that NYSC directorate headquarters operates a 24-hour distress call centre, with numbers already given to corps members, which they can call in case of emergencies. While describing as pragmatic, its approach to issues concerning the welfare of corps members nationwide, Olawumi assured that should such calls be received, the closest security agency to the place where the distressed corps member is would be immediately contacted to respond. Olawunmi, while congratulating the corps members on their success at their various institutions of study, urged them to regard their call to service as a rare privilege, assuring them that adequate welfare and security arrangements have been put in place for them, both during the orientation course and the service year. He called on the corps members to utilise the opportunity of the 10-day NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme during the orientation course to acquire various skills, be self-employed and eventually become employers of labour rather than roam the streets after service in search of jobs. Olive Essien Etukudo, Delta State NYSC Coordinator, in her speech, reported that a total of 2,844 corps members, comprising of 1367 males and 1477 females, were registered for the 2014 batch ‘B’ Orientation Course.

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