By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

No fewer than 3,704 2019 Batch ‘B’ Stream 1 corps members in Anambra State have commenced the collection of their discharge certificates.

The collection started during the passing out ceremony across the state.

Speaking to journalists in Aguata, the NYSC Coordinator in the state, Mr. Kehinde Aremu, said corps members who wished to travel out of the state were at liberty to make such trips saying that the Director General of the scheme, Shuaibu Ibrahim, secured permission from the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu to that effect.

He said: “We’ve gone round all the centres. There was strict compliance to the COVID-19 protocol. I also want to assure you that all our officers were sent out to participate in the certificate distribution.

“One other thing we’ve done is to stagger the distribution of the certificate. We allocated days to each of the corps members across the local governments depending on the numerical strength in each area.”

He said all the manpower of the scheme in the state were deployed to all the local government areas in the state to ensure a seamless passing out exercise.

He added: “We’re excited that the DG, was able to link up with the IGP, the Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to ensure free passage of corps members who wish to go back home during the lockdown.

“On our own part here, we’ve synergised with the Sector Command of the FRSC as well as other security personnel to ensure easy passage of our corps members.

“One thing I’m very sure is that with the kind of training and orientation we’ve given the corps members, all through the year, they will excel.

“Our target from the onset is that if we put the entire corps members in the country together, those in Anambra will distinguish themselves in terms of excellence, knowledge and comportment.”

While announcing a three months service extension of four corps members in the state over various offences, the Coordinator commended the corps members for their meritorious service year.

The ceremony which was low-keyed, was organised under strict observance of the social distancing and other COVID-19 directives in compliance with the World Health Organisation standard.