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Planned Protest: Fact-checking claim corps members get automatic clearance in August, other rumours

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As the nationwide protest set for Aug 1st draws near, rumours about the activities of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have surfaced on WhatsApp. These speculations have since gone viral, spreading to other social media platforms like X and Facebook, with users raising questions about their authenticity.

Unverified claims can intensify tensions during periods of unrest. DUBAWA conducted this fact check to set the records straight.

Claim 1: Automatic clearance for all corps members in August

Planned Protest: Fact-checking claim corps members get automatic clearance in August, other rumours

A screenshot of the viral claim. Photo Source: WhatsApp.

Verification


DUBAWA spoke to Eddy Megwa, NYSC Director of Press and Public Relations, who said that it is true that the corps members would not need to appear physically for biometric clearance in August. However, the NYSC directorate has planned to deploy inspectors who would visit their primary place of assignment to verify their presence before clearing them for the month.

He said, “On the issue of biometric clearance, we have our administrative procedures for giving our corps members their monthly stipend. We have inspectors that monitor corps members in their various places of primary assignment. Now, the Director General has also approved the deployment of more inspectors from the directorate headquarters, state secretariats, area offices, and zonal offices to ensure that the corps members are doing their services where they are posted. 

“Now, instead of allowing them (the corp members) move around during this period of protest and in the process, they are caught in between, the Director General now instructed officers to move around and check where they are serving and through that, they’d be cleared and paid accordingly.”

Planned Protest: Fact-checking claim corps members get automatic clearance in August, other rumours

Claim 2: No corps member should wear uniforms or attend community development service (CDS) meetings till further notice 

Verification

The NYSC Director of Press and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa, confirmed these statements as accurate. In a telephone conversation, he informed DUBAWA that the measures were set by the NYSC directorate to protect the lives of the corps members in its care.

“If the ones protesting want to do anything to hit the government, corps members become veritable tools, and so we said for this period, ‘as you’re moving around, don’t wear uniforms so that you’ll not be a target.’ All the things we have done are to make sure that corps members are alive during their service and that we deliver them back to their families safely. It’s a good thing to do,” he said.

Planned Protest: Fact-checking claim corps members get automatic clearance in August, other rumours

Verdict: True! The NYSC spokesperson confirmed the claims during a call with DUBAWA.

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