ISELE-UKU/Nigeria: The Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has reminded new National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members deployed to the state that the essence of their just concluded orientation course was to strengthen and equip them for the enormous challenges of their service year.
Giving the advice during the terminal parade and closing ceremony of the 2017 Batch ‘B’ Stream 1 orientation course for the Corps members at the Permanent Orientaion Camp, Issele-Uku, Governor Okowa urged them to utilise all that they had learnt and acquired during the period of orientation for a hitch -free service year and beyond.
The governor ,who was represented at the event by the State Commissioner for Higher Education, Engr. Jude Sinebe, said that “The importance of the National Youth Service Corps cannot be over-emphased in the socio-economic and political development of the country, adding that the articulated programmes and policies of the NYSC scheme had helped to sustain it in the face of economic challenges facing the nation.
One important programme of the scheme, he said, ‘is skill acquisition and entreprenuership development,’ which the Corps members should be expected to participate in the course of the orientation.
“It is meant to make you employers of labour, rather than job seekers, at the end of your service year. I, therefore, urge you to take advantage of all you have learnt during the period to build a future for yourselves,” Governor Okowa urged the corps members.
He reminded them that the Delta State Government had introduced skill acquisition and youths employment programmes as key component of its administrations SMART Agenda and it would continue to explore avenues, aimed at creating the enabling environment for youths to use their God-given talent to create wealth.
“As you go for your primary assignment, I encourage you to be part of all such programmes consciously designed towards making youths self-reliant,” he urged them.
He said that soon the corps members will be posted to various communities across the State and it is expected that most of them will be posted as classroom instructors to schools in rural communities.
He urged them to see their postings as a call to duty to teach and mentor the young ones in schools. “I urge you to avoid soliciting for rejection and lobbying for reposting to urban areas. Every community in Delta State is safe, habitable and populated by people who are hospitable and willing to cooperate with you during your service year,” Governor Okowa added.
In addition, he assured the corps members that his administration will continue to support all the corps members in their genuine endeavour aimed at leaving Delta State better than they met it.
“We will not rest on our oars to accord priority attention to your welfare, including recognising and rewarding those of you who may put up outstanding performances in the course of your service year. We’ve done it in the past and will continue to appreciate you as you remain dedicated and committed to service, wherever you find yourself for primary assignment.”
Meanwhile, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has appealed to communities in Delta State to put an end to all forms of communal clashes, saying that no corps member will be posted to any warring area.
The State Coordinator of the NYSC, Mr. Benjamin Omotade made the appeal at the closing ceremony of the 2017 Batch “B,’’ Stream 1, orientation course held in Issele-Uku.
Omotade said that the life of every corps member posted to the state was dear to the NYSC.
The Coordinator added that it was the NYSC’s policy that no corps member would be posted to any community involved in communal clashes.
He particularly noted the peace challenges in the Warri South-West and Udu Local Government Areas that had been on since 2016.
He said that no corps member was posted there except the 10 females who applied to the NYSC management based on marital grounds.
Omotade said, “No parent will be happy to see his or her ward in a community with peace challenge.’’
He said that it was the joint decision of the state governing board and the NYSC that no corps member should be posted to areas that were experiencing security challenges.
According to him, ‘although corps members are not the target in communal clashes, we will not risk it or expose them to danger zones.’
Omotade, however, advised host communities to shun any forms of violence, but embrace peace.
He said that it was only peace that could bring about development.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the highlight of the occasion was the conferment of honesty award and giving letters of commendation to five serving corps members, who distinguished themselves in honesty.
Omotade, while conferring the awards, said that the corps members sometime in the past, found expensive phones and huge sums of money belonging to their fellow corps members.
He said that they submitted the lost but found items to the NYSC management.
“These are rare and honest corps members we need to commend, in spite of the hard times and the state of the Nigerian economy,’’ he said. (NAN)
