Bakura, Bukkyum, Birinin Magaji, Shinkafi, Maradun, and Zurmi Local Government Areas of Zamfara State have been removed from consideration for participation in activities carried out by the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) in that state.
The decision was made because of the widespread banditry that was wreaking havoc in the areas.
The State NYSC coordinator, Mr. Mohammed NAmalam Taura, expressed his disappointment that the same insecure environment compelled the NYSC to relocate its orientation camp from Tsafe to Gusau, the capital of the state.
According to the coordinator, the Corps members who were serving in the impacted districts have been withdrawn after the incident. He also stated that no Corps member would be sent to the areas even during the general elections in 2023 until the safety of people and property in the state improved.
He issued a stern warning that any member of the Corps who participated in the general elections in 2023 in the affected areas without the permission of NYSC would be doing so at their own risk, saying that the administration of the Corps would not be held responsible for their actions.
“We cannot deploy any Corps member to the impacted areas when we are aware that the lives of the Corps members there are not guaranteed,” he added. “We are aware that the lives of the Corps members there are not guaranteed.”
The coordinator made the point that even though it was the responsibility of the security agencies to provide adequate security measures, the Corps management also provides its own security for the protection of the lives of its members. This was done for the purpose of preventing any harm from coming to the members of the Corps.
In response to the announcement, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner for INEC, Professor Sa’idu Babura Ahmad, stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had been signed between the NYSC managements and INEC.
Ahmad pointed out that the State INEC would only follow instructions from the national headquarters of the Commission, as he explained that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two bodies was not signed in the State but rather in Abuja, the nation’s capital, between the two organizations.
“The members of the Corps are not full-time employees of INEC; rather, they are contract workers who are hired on an as-needed basis to help the commission during any election period.
“Even the Independent National Electoral Commission does not send its officials to difficult areas because we are security aware and would not put the lives of our workers in jeopardy,” he claimed. “We would not put their lives in jeopardy.”