Francis Sardauna in Katsina
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, has urged corps members to maintain political neutrality and refrain from using their NYSC identity or social media platforms to campaign for political parties or candidates.
He reminded the corps members that they were required to remain politically neutral and must not use their NYSC identity or social media platforms to campaign for political parties and their candidates.
Nafiu, who gave the warning on Wednesday during his working visit to the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream II Orientation Course at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Katsina, also warned the corps members against spreading misinformation and AI-generated content on their social media platforms.
He urged corps members to verify information before sharing or reposting content on social media, noting that advances in artificial intelligence had made it increasingly difficult to distinguish genuine photographs and videos from manipulated materials.
He said: “As corps members, you are not permitted to campaign for any political party or candidate. If your social media activities are traced to political promotion while wearing the NYSC identity, appropriate action will be taken.
“Don’t just share or repost blindly. Think through what you receive. Verify the source, check when the picture was taken and determine whether it has been manipulated by AI. Technology has changed the information space completely.”
The NYSC director-general noted that corps members would play an important role in the 2027 elections, as many of them would be deployed as ad hoc electoral personnel.
He described the assignment as an opportunity for corps members to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s democracy by helping eligible citizens exercise their right to vote.
He urged them to take the responsibility seriously and contribute to the conduct of credible, free and fair elections.
He also encouraged the corps members to take advantage of the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme, stressing that vocational and entrepreneurial skills were increasingly important in the current economy.
He said the orientation programme was designed to instill discipline, leadership, teamwork, obedience and a sense of responsibility among corps members through drills and other activities, including the Man O’ War obstacle exercises.
Earlier, the Katsina State NYSC Coordinator, Evans Okwor, said 1,333 corps members, comprising 759 males and 574 females, had been registered for the orientation exercise.
Okwor disclosed that 363 camp officials, comprising 173 NYSC staff and 190 personnel from collaborating agencies, were participating in the exercise.
He said the camp clinic had 40 medical personnel and was adequately stocked with essential drugs.
He explained that 783 corps members and 40 camp officials had so far received medical attention, while 14 cases were referred to the General Hospital, Katsina, and two patients remained on admission.
Okwor listed malaria, typhoid fever, asthma, peptic ulcer disease, body pains and blood pressure-related conditions among the common health challenges recorded at the camp.
He commended the corps members for their discipline and positive adaptation to camp activities.
The orientation course, which commenced on August 5, is expected to end on August 25, 2026.