By Segun Giwa
The Director-General (DG) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Muhammad Fadah, has appealed to stakeholders to support the establishment of the NYSC Trust Fund.
Fadah made the appeal in his address on Tuesday in Ikare-Akoko at the Swearing-in-Ceremony for the 2022 Batch ‘B’ (Stream 1) corps members mobilised and deployed to Ondo State.
The D-G, represented by the Ondo State Coordinator of NYSC, Mrs Victoria Ani, said the trust fund, which had reached an advanced stage of legislation, would address the challenges of infrastructure and provide start-up capital for corps members.
Fadah disclosed that the deployment of corps members from their states of origin, and their assemblage from diverse ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds, was to promote national unity and integration.
“This policy will not only offer you the opportunity for a broader understanding of the country, but also entrench the culture of working together in an atmosphere filled with friendship, peace, harmony, and a shared vision of a great and prosperous Nigeria,” he said.
He reminded the corps members that the oath of allegiance they were sworn to, was expected to guide their conduct in the service year, as well as have an everlasting influence in their life after service.
Fadah implored the new entrants into the NYSC family to sustain the high level of discipline and enthusiasm they had demonstrated so far, and urged them to remain compliant with the camp rules and regulations.
“You must continue to distant yourselves from cultism, drug abuse and other social vices.
“I urge you not to use social media for negative purposes, but deploy same for the promotion of national unity and development,” he said.
The D-G also reminded the corpers that white-collar jobs were no longer readily available, and encouraged them to avail themselves of the opportunities embedded in Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, (SAED), programme.
“You are expected to choose from any of the skill areas, and make yourselves available for the training, which starts from the orientation camp.
“On our part, management will continue to work with relevant stakeholders for the success of the programme,” he said.
Fadah urged all corps members, as well as other camp community, to adhere strictly to non-pharmaceutical protocols of COVID-19 pandemic, and to observe all the preventive measures as directed.
He congratulated the 1,300 corps members deployed to Ondo State and commended their patriotism and commitment to give their best to the service of the fatherland.
Also, the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Williams Akintoroye, who was represented by Justice John Abe, administered the oath of allegiance on the prospective corps members.(NAN)
