Mrs Chinyere Ekwe, Akwa Ibom Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), says the scheme remains symbol of unity and rallying point for young Nigerians over the past 48 years.
Ekwe said this at an event to mark NYSC 48th anniversary at its permanent orientation camp, Ikot Itie Udung Nsit Atai on Saturday.
She said that the scheme, established in 1973, had become a rallying point for youths from different ethnic, religious and cultural background across the country.
According to her, the scheme has lived up to the expectation of the founding fathers.
“NYSC is a strong pillar that unites the entire nation. You can see so many corps members here, they come from diverse culture and ethnic groups.
“Once they come for service they do not care about where anyone comes from, they are always united in everything they do.
“They do not care about ethnicity, religion and culture, they are all one. So, the unity of Nigeria must continue.
“In NYSC, we promote unity and say no to division. It is a rally point of young people in Nigeria,” Ekwe said.
Ekwe said that the unity of the country regardless some challenges confronting nation was still intact through the scheme, stressing that the unity would continue to exist no matter some differences.
She said that he significance of the 2021 celebration was unity of Nigeria, adding that NYSC was uniting the whole country, making young people come together to bring unity, prosperity and oneness in the country.
Speaking, a Corps members, Miss Chinasa Mba, a graduate of Theatre Art and Film study, University of Nigeria Nsuka, expressed happiness for the scheme in binding the nation together.
Mba decried the call for the scraping of the scheme, saying doing so would be unprogressive.
Another corps member, Mr Madaki Baba, Computer Engineering graduate of Federal University of Technology, Minna, said that the scheme had been beneficial to him and members of his host community.
He said the scheme had enabled him to contribute his quota to the society through training of students and teachers on computer literacy in his place of primary assignment.
“It is a privilege serving Nigeria this time, and I feel that this nation needs to be more united because the vision of NYSC is nation building and unity,” he said.
Baba said that all Nigerians must continue to tolerate one another living together as one entity, “because living in disunity will not help the country move forward”. (NAN)
