Some of the corps members, who spoke to Our correspondent expressed joy that they were contributing to the well-being of Nigerians by keeping sicknesses and diseases away from them through the exercise.

Anita Aigbe  a Corps member said “I am excited cleaning this gutter around the Old Market here in Lokoja? I am happy that I am contributing to the wellbeing of residents of Kogi today.”

She said that contributing to the nation’s sanitation through the second edition of the corps sanitation exercise was indeed a privilege for her.

Also another corps member, Mr Bamigbade Tope-Isaac thanked the NYSC Director-General for initiating such a laudable programme.

He said the programme gave him the opportunity to save lives from disease and infections through the street clean-up exercise.

Earlier in his address, the NYSC Director-General, Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, said that environmental sanitation has been recognised globally as one of the key requirements for the prevention of diseases and their escalation to epidemic proportion.

The DG was represented by the State Coordinator, Mrs Mofoluwaso Adebimpe-Williams.

“This is why this Saturday, we all engaged in the cleaning of dirty environments, cleaning of heaps of refuse dumps in public places in the State capital Lokoja and all the 21 Local Government Areas.

“Already the Corps has stepped up efforts to enlighten the general public, especially the rural dwellers on the health risks of poor hygiene with particular focus on the contamination of food, water, and the entire environment.

“Therefore, in the spirit of the exercise, corps members serving in Kogi State engaged in the exercise both in the metropolis and in all the 21 Local Government Areas, ” he stated.

Reports have it that in Lokoja, the state coordinator led all the staff and corps members to clean the main market and other strategic areas in order to show good models of cleanliness.

Residents of the communities were happy and appreciative of the programme as the corps members came out enmass to participate in the exercise.

A resident of Felele Community in Lokoja, Alhaji Abdulkadir Jimoh, thanked the corps members for the sanitation.

“We are so grateful to the corps members for this show of love, and care for our well-being as residents of Kogi,” he said.