Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Thursday, hinted that the nation Nigeria depended on the services provided by the National Youth Service Corps members for national development, just as he said, it is a great responsibility that they must all bear.
The governor, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Pastor Oyadeyi Oludele, in his remark at the official swearing-in of the 2019 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Batch ‘B’ (Stream II) members deployed to the state, held at the permanent orientation camp, Ogbakuta, Iseyin, urged that they must uphold the ideals of the scheme in the discharge of their assignments.
In his words: “Our nation Nigeria depends on your services and it is a great responsibility that you all must bear. You must uphold the ideals of the scheme in the discharge of your assignments.” Gov. Makinde equally tasked them to view the scheme as a clarion call to serve their fatherland with a consistent display of hard work, discipline and quest to contribute to national development and the state in particular.
“I further enjoin you to be patriotic and selfless in all your activities starting from here in camp to your places of primary assignment,” Makinde said. Worried by the security challenges in the country, the governor restated the commitment of his administration at providing adequate security for corps members serving in the state.
He added that the government was aware of the security challenges being witnessed in the country, hence his administration would leave no stone unturned in making sure that adequate provision of security was guaranteed during and after the orientation exercise.
“We will do everything within our capacity to ensure a conducive and secured environment during and after the orientation exercise.” “We are not unaware of the security challenges being experienced in our country.” “To this effect, we shall put in place adequate security measures to check any breakdown of law and order,” while charging the corps members to be law-abiding and partner with the state government to create a secure environment.
The governor, then, commended the state NYSC Governing Board, NYSC management, traditional rulers and other stakeholders for their efforts towards the success of the programme and ultimately, in guiding the teeming youths towards nation-building, reminding them that the task of nation-building was a collective effort.
In his remark, the representative of the Chairman, NYSC, Oyo State Governing Board, Mrs Olubisi Adegoke urged the corps members to avail themselves of the course content of the scheme, especially on skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development programme to enable them to acquire relevant skills for self-empowerment.
Earlier in an address by the state coordinator of NYSC, Ambekemo Eniola, she admonished the newly posted corps members to the state to integrate, learn and embrace each other’s culture, especially the culture of the host communities, pointing out that this would ensure national unity, which she said, was the core value of the scheme.
To stem down the rate of unemployed graduate youths, she similarly enjoined them to embrace the skills acquisition programme which was one of the course contents of the orientation exercise. “I am delighted to inform His Excellency and distinguished guests that as at 12 midnight of Wednesday, 21st August 2019, cut-off time, a total of 1,595 prospective corps members were registered to comprise 872 males and 723 females,” she added.