By Tina George, Minna
Niger State Government has stated that Corps Members who serve in rural areas will get more incentives than those who serve in urban areas.
This, according to the Secretary of the Niger state Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, would make serving in the rural areas more desirable than serving in the urban areas.
The SSG disclosed this during the opening ceremony of the 2019 Batch ‘C’ Stream 1 Orientation Course and swearing-in of corps members deployed to Niger state in Paiko, Niger State.
He lamented over the influx of Corps Members in the urban areas while their skills and expertise are usually needed in the rural area.
”In terms of posting, the government would create an incentive around those who are willing to go to rural areas to do their service and those who want to remain in urban areas, we will de-incentivize them.
“This is necessary so that the attraction should be in the rural areas where their attention is needed. We want to see Corpers as teachers, working in the community hospitals and helping the community to grow. They are mostly needed in rural areas and not in urban areas.”
Matane, who is the Chairman of the NYSC Governing Board in the state further stated that the state is looking at ways to improve the incentives being given to Corps Members in the state assuring them Corpers that although there are challenges with funding, the incentives they take home will soon be revised.
In his address, the Commissioner of the Niger state Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Honorable Emmanuel Umar who represented the Governor declared that with these new Corps members and others who will come after them, the state government would be deliberate in their deployment and posting to the place of assignment.
“We will now be deliberate in the deployment, posting and placing of corpers in their place of assignment. We want to establish a mentor and mentee relationship so that any Corper deployed to anywhere to serve, the corper would be able to pour out his life to the community and the community would be able to shape the corper life. We ware encouraging them to take advantage of the resources we have here so that it would be beneficial to them.”
In her address, the Niger state NYSC Coordinator, Mrs. Funmilayo Ajayi reminded the state government of the need for the completion of the permanent Orientation Camp adding that “this is an issue that is of great concern to NYSC.”
She said that 1,812 corps members had been registered so far into the Paiko Orientation Camp in Niger state.
