The Director-General of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Brig. Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed has urged new corps members in orientation camps to accept their postings and not ask for redeployment.
He also urged them to ensure they contribute meaningfully to the lives of the people and communities where they will carry out their primary assignments and embrace the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Programme (SAED) and other activities designed by NYSC to hone their knowledge and skills.
He said they would need to do these so as to prepare themselves very well for the 21st Century’s challenges.
The director-general gave these pieces of advice on Thursday in Lagos while addressing the 2024 Batch “A” Stream l Corps members deployed to Lagos State and undergoing a three-week orientation exercise at the state’s orientation camp in Iyana-Ipaja.
They are 4, 323 in number with some deployed to Ogun and Osun states for their orientation exercise because of inadequate space in the Lagos orientation camp.
According to the DG, every corps member is expected to do well while in camp and also in their places of primary assignments and host communities by impacting them positively, noting that is the essence of their services to the country.
He urged them to come up with marketable business ideas, saying there are lots of financial institutions in the country including the Bank of Industry that are ready to give them zero-interest loans and with flexible repayment.
He said all that is required by those banks from them as collateral is only their NYSC certificates and that many corps members in the past had explored the opportunities and are now self-independent and even employers of labour.
The DG, however, cautioned them not to embark on journeys without permission from NYSC management and their places of primary assignment.
He said it would be better if they could debar avoidable journeys but that if they must travel, they must ensure they obtain express permission from relevant quarters so as to be able to track their movement.
He said this is necessary not only because of the insecurity situation in the country but also because they are expected to give full concentration to their duties as corps members.
He said NYSC as an organisation would not accept truancy nor absenteeism from any of them.
While assuring them that their safety is guaranteed in and outside orientation camp as the para-military organisation works closely with other security agencies including the police, DSS, NDLEA, NSCDC and so forth, he also urged them to shun all forms of social vices such as cultism, thuggery and drug abuse.
He said, “Social vices are prohibited while in camp and outside the camp and that anyone finds culpable of flouting rules will be sanctioned accordingly.”
He, however, commended them for their display of discipline while encouraging them to keep abiding by the rules guiding their orientation exercise and places of their primary assignments.
In her remark, NYSC coordinator, Lagos State, Mrs Yetunde Baderinwa, commended corps members for their impressive and mature display of character since the orientation exercise commenced.
She noted that the corps members had been very cooperative with camp officials and security agencies.
She also pointed out that the Lagos State government had been very supportive of NYSC activities to ensure its smooth operations.
She, however, implored the corps members to continue to put maximum effort into their participation in the one-year mandatory scheme
