Management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has rebuffed a report claiming that the Director General of the scheme, Brigadier General Ibrahim Shuaibu is out to islamise Benue camp.
The scheme’s director, Press and Public Relations, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, in a statement Saturday said the DG’s instruction was targeted at corps welfare and aimed at ensuring all groups worship under structures built for that purpose and not exposed to negative weather elements in the event of rain or extreme sunshine.
She said there was no time during the DG’s visit that such instruction was given, as the scheme recognises all faiths and it allowed the National Association of Catholic Corpers (NACC), Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF) and Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria (MCAN) to operate without hinder in the camp.
The group under the auspices of Coalition for Peace and Justice in a statement had stated that the DG expressed anger that there is no mosque in the camp and ordered Benue state coordinator to build a mosque in the camp immediately.
Adenike said: “When we visited the camp, the DG observed the three associations worshiping in the open space. He therefore instructed the state coordinator, saying a place should be provided for them, as those worshiping should have a structure under which they could worship. The instruction was targeted at the welfare of the corps members.
“It wasn’t only Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria (MCAN) that he saw and he was only concerned about the welfare of the corps members without prejudice as the scheme does not favour any religion against another.
“So the DG’s instruction was targeted at corps welfare and aimed at ensuring all groups worship under structures built for that purpose and not exposed to negative weather elements in the event of rain or extreme sunshine,” she said.
