Stranded: How COVID-19 lockdown trapped graduating corps members

Completing the mandatory National Youth Service Corps programme is a thing of joy for tertiary institution graduates in Nigeria. However, this year, the COVID-19 lockdown has thrown spanners in the works, as some corps members are unable to receive their certificates, allowances or travel back home because of the lockdown. Passing out of the mandatory […]

Completing the mandatory National Youth Service Corps programme is a thing of joy for tertiary institution graduates in Nigeria.

However, this year, the COVID-19 lockdown has thrown spanners in the works, as some corps members are unable to receive their certificates, allowances or travel back home because of the lockdown.

Passing out of the mandatory National Youth Service Corps should mean travelling back home to loved ones, and a whole future of a working life to look forward to.

But that has not been the case for members of the 2019 Batch B stream who completed their programme during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Some of them have been stranded since they passed out on Thursday, May, 28 because of the interstate travel ban, curfew, and other restrictions ordered by the federal and some state governments to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The NYSC had directed that most corps members collect their discharge certificates at the local government headquarters and also gave them passes to enable them to travel.

Despite this, corps members faced numerous challenges collecting their discharge certificates, leaving the states they served in and now with their rents already expired, their challenges can only get worse.

Daily Trust gathered that some corps members had issues with their final clearances, missing allowances and other issues that could not be addressed because of the lockdown.

A corps member, who served in Oshodi in Lagos State, and pleaded anonymity, said many of his colleagues had issues with final clearance.

“There were instances where the people that are supposed to sign and stamp their final clearance forms (school owner or secretary) at their place of primary assignments (PPA) were not available because they live in Ogun State and the lockdown did not allow them to come to Lagos,” he said.

Corps members affected by this will have to wait until these officers are available to sign their clearances.

“Some corps members did not travel when others did so that they could get their discharge certificates but now, they could not get their final clearance done, so, they are still stuck in Lagos.

“Their certificates are ready but their clearances are not ready.

“If you don’t have your final clearance, you cannot get your NYSC certificate.

“It is just bureaucracy; a routine and it has to be done,” the corps member said.

He said, as an official of a Community Development Service group, he received complaints from corps members whose allowances were missing for a month or two before the lockdown.

These corps members could not complain to NYSC officials because of the lockdown.

Some sent letters that had not been responded to.

Corps members who were allowed to return to their states before the lockdown could also not return to their states of posting to receive their certificates.

“Some corps members are trapped in Lagos. Some of them have accommodation problems.

“They have started squatting here and there and many have told me that they don’t know where to stay.

“We are waiting for the interstate ban to be lifted,” he said.

A corps member from Port Harcourt who served in Lagos, Jasper Nwoka, said despite receiving his certificate, he would have to remain in Lagos until the travel ban is lifted.

Nwoka said he stayed at the corps’ members’ lodge throughout his service year and has two months grace to remain in the lodge.

“If at the end of the two months, the situation does not changed, then, I will have no choice than to go back home but if my place of primary assignment concludes plans to retain me before then, I will stay back, move in with a friend to rent an apartment,” he said.

However, corps members serving in Kaduna said they were allowed free passage between states once they identified themselves and that for many of them, their rents are not expiring until July.

Uchumkpa Daniel Chigozie, from Imo State, said a travelling pass was given by the management of the NYSC for those travelling out of the state to prevent harassment from security operatives.

He and his friends will be chartering a bus for the journey.

However, corps members in other states told Daily Trust that they are not experiencing such challenges and are free to leave when they are ready.

Others prefer to stay back in the states they served to pursue employment or business opportunities.

Olumilade Ariyo, a Batch B corps member who just completed his service in Abuja told Daily Trust that due to the travel ban, he would just stay back with his cousin.

Another corps member, Mohammed Abdulfatai, said his rent has not expired yet and that he was hopeful that the inter-state travel ban would be lifted soon.

NYSC Coordinator in the FCT, Hajiya Walida Sidiqque Isa said that her office was in talks with the Nigerian Police Force to help make movement easy for any corps member who wants to travel back home.

She said she also tried to convince the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to help with buses for mobility but “they said that they were not allowed to move due to the interstate ban.”

Isa said if she concludes talks with the police, she would still appeal to the union to provide buses that would convey corps members in batches to particular locations.

She said those who were unable to collect their discharge certificates at the moment would be given the grace to come after the lockdown to collect them.

The Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr Julius Amusan said the authorities of the scheme had secured passes for corps members who recently concluded their service year and were willing to return home.

Amusan, however, said some of the affected corps members were willing to remain in the state until the travel restrictions are lifted.

“We are in unusual times and the passing out [ceremony] we had this time is different from the ones we used to have in times past.

“While some corps members have received their certificates, some are yet to some will collect on Monday and others on Tuesday.

“But some from adjourning states like Abia, Cross River, and Rivers, we have asked them to make photocopies of their ID cards, which will be stamped and signed, and we have an understanding with the Nigerian Police to allow them to go,” he said.

When contacted, the Lagos, Nasarawa and Kebbi states NYSC coordinators, Mr Eddy Megwa, Mr Steven Dewan and Hadiza Idris said that the Director-General of NYSC had approached the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and secured passage for corps members who had just received their certificates and were willing to travel back to their home states.

They said the DG also sought the support of the Federal Road Safety Corps to help corps members to transit back to their homes.

However, a corps member in Lagos told our correspondent that the situation has improved.

He explained that those in the South West and South East were able to travel to Lagos (somehow) but those in the North, especially in states in lockdown, could not travel to Lagos for their certificate.

He said that the few who could not get their certificates due to their final clearances not being signed by their PPA, have eventually had these issues resolved in the last two weeks.

However, he noted that many are still stuck in Lagos due to the outrageous interstate transport fare and pleaded with their property owners to give them the grace until they can leave. Others have moved in with friends and relatives in Lagos until travel restrictions are eased.

With additional reports from Maureen Onochie (Abuja), Risikat Ramoni & Christiana T. Alabi (Lagos), Faruk Shuaibu (Kaduna), Ibraheem Hamza Muhammad (Lafia ) Iniabasi Umo (Uyo ), Aliyu M. Hamagam ( Birnin Kebbi).