The drowning of corps members in Taraba

AUTHORITIES  of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), on Monday, declared a three-day mourning for the nine NYSC members who drowned in River Mayo-Selbe, near the Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba State, last weekend. In a statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations of the corps, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, the NYSC expressed shock and sadness at what it called the cruel twist of fate that befell the corps members, whose deaths it attributed to a sudden increase in water volume at River Mayo-Selbe. According to the statement, “The corps members had, on Saturday, August 4, embarked on a picnic at the site before the unfortunate incident. Seven bodies have so far been recovered by the local divers and security agents while the search for the remaining two missing corps members is ongoing. Management has, therefore, declared a three-day mourning for the souls of our departed heroes, beginning from Monday, August 6, during which NYSC flags nationwide will fly half-mast. Our condolences are with the families and the scheme covets your prayers at this moment.”

On his part, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo extended the government’s condolences to the families of the nine youth corps members on behalf of himself and the Federal Government. He noted that with the tragic incident, the country had lost some of its talented and productive young people in their prime. He said: “This terrible occurrence has abruptly ended the lives of these young men and women while they were dutifully engaged in national service. The Federal Government appreciates their service to the nation and it is my prayer that God will comfort their families and loved ones, and that we would not witness such a calamity again. I would like to express my condolences to the families of the late youth corps members, the NYSC management and the people of Taraba State, where the sorrowful incident occurred and Edo, Enugu, Delta and Imo states from where the identified victims hailed.”

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It is indeed sad and unfortunate that a picnic organised by 22 youths on national service ended in the loss of nine souls. Had the victims, who were out enjoying their weekend, known what fate awaited them at River Mayo-Selbe, they would certainly have shelved their outing. But tragedies are a cruel reality of life, and sometimes defy all the caution in the world. Yet the point cannot be denied that the death of the youth corps members highlights the poor state of infrastructure across the country. Even though avoidable deaths occur in all climes, perhaps because of the ephemerality of human life, there is as yet no right-thinking member of society who would doubt the claim that a society possesses the requisite infrastructure for safe swimming in rivers or lakes will fare better in saving lives than one without it. In saner climes, the authorities do not take very lightly, the issue of provision of such infrastructure, including swimming maps, which provide relevant and up to date information on the suitability of rivers and lakes for swimming and water quality factors;  life guard stations and life jackets.

To say the least, it is doubtful that these facilities have been provided, let alone in adequate quantities, in Taraba State. Thus, the advice given by the Taraba State government while condoling with the families of the victims, namely that corps members should always inform the authorities and security agencies of their activities to forestall the recurrence of such a tragedy in the state, need not deflect attention from the generally poor governance structure in the country. To be sure, corps members and indeed all Nigerians ought to exercise utmost care in swimming and in their daily activities, not least because wrong decisions cause tragedies, but the point being made here is that sane societies protect the people, even against themselves. For instance, victims attempting to swim in swift waters have been known to overestimate their swimming ability and underestimated river currents, and the government has a duty to minimise tragedies through awareness campaigns and the provision of a functional safety network.

We commiserate with the families of the victims of River Mayo-Selbe tragedy. May the souls of the nine corps members rest in sweet repose and may God grant their families the grace with which to pull through at this hour of need.