Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has described the National Youth Service Corps Scheme (NYSC) as a pivot for the promotion of peace and unity in the country and commended the reversal of the policy on the posting of Youth Corpers to the classrooms.
Dr. Uduaghan who stated this Wednesday when the Chairman of the newly constituted National Youth Service Corps and his team paid him a courtesy visit in Asaba said the initiative of the scheme afforded the Nigerian youths the opportunity to exchange cultural and religious ideas and to live freely anywhere in the country.
“I am a very firm believer in the NYSC because, it provides opportunity for the exchange of cultural and religious ideas amongst our young minds and engender the unity of the country,” Governor Uduaghan said, adding that “the scheme acts as a pivot for the unity of the country and in keeping the country together.”
While observing that security and religious challenges in the recent past have affected the posting of youth corps members to some parts of the country, Dr Uduaghan commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the efforts in tackling the security challenges and called on the perpetuators and their sponsors to desist from breaching the peace in the so that corps members can be posted to different parts of the country and contribute their quota to nation building.
The governor affirmed his administration’s commitment to the safety of corps members explaining that there has been no record of kidnapping of Youth Corpers in the state.
He assured that Delta State was very safe for members of the NYSC, disclosing that security operatives were on the alert in areas where there are Corpers’ Lodges asserting: “Delta State is a safe place for corps members and the Police Commissioner has taken special measures to ensure their safety. The corps members too should be security conscious and avoid criminal flashpoints.”
Governor Uduaghan used the occasion to commend the Governing Board of the NYSC for reviewing the policy of posting all corps members to classrooms to teach, observing that such amounted to wastage of human resources especially of graduates who did not study Education courses.
“What the country has put into the training of corps members is enormous, and the core professionals should be posted to their areas of specialisation,” the Governor emphasised, noting that as a corps member, he was very happy to be posted to the hospital and imparted on the life of the people of the community where he served.
He assured members of the NYSC of his administration’s continuous support to make life especially in the orientation camps easy.
Earlier, the Chairman, NYSC National Governing Board, Chief Gordon Bozimo who was accompanied on the visit by the state coordinator of the scheme, Mr Joseph Ezechukwu and other top NYSC officials disclosed that the NYSC has reviewed the posting policy of the scheme to ensure that graduates are posted to areas of specialisation and also to ensure that corps employers especially in the private sector should be able to employ a minimum of 30 per cent of corps members posted to their organisations who passed their aptitude test and meet their entry requirements..
He stated that such policy would encourage corps members to bring out their best during the service year to enable them be employed.
Chief Bozimo stated that the board was partnering with some banks to introduce the cashless policy to the corps members explaining it would reduce the chances of any corps member being robbed.
He commended Governor Uduaghan for his interest and support for the NYSC scheme and requested that more assistance be given to the scheme in the areas of electricity, pipe borne water, renovation of the orientation camp multi-purpose hall and the increase of the perimeter fence.
