FCT Minister advises corps members against unnecessary journey

FCT Minister Mohammed Bello on Monday urged corps members to shun  frivolous  journeys during the service year to safeguard themselves from road accidents.

Bello gave the advice at the closing ceremony of the National Youth Service Corps’ (NYSC) orientation course for the Batch ‘B’ Stream II set of corps members in Abuja.

The minister, who was represented by Dr Babatope Ajakaye, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), enjoined corps members not to live reckless and careless life.

He assured members that adequate measures had been put in place to ensure their safety during the service year but added that they needed to make efforts at ensuring that they remained on the right side of the law.

“This requires you to be law abiding and model citizens of your host communities. I am aware that road traffic accidents remain a major cause of deaths among corps members.

“I therefore, urge you to shun the temptation to engage in frivolous and unnecessary journeys.

“Another area of great concern in which I expect your positive intervention is the fast growing menace of abuse of drugs and consumption of harmful substances among the youths in the FCT.

“This vice poses serious threat to the future of our youths. In this light, you must be a shining example and role model within your communities,” Bello said.

The minister urged corps members to ‘step down’ the skill acquisition and entrepreneurship training they received during the orientation course to members of their various host communities.

According to Bello, this will help increase small and cottage industries, economic empowerment, reduction in poverty and overall improvement in the quality of lives of many of our people.

He said,“given the prevailing economic recession, the NYSC skills acquisition programme is a very viable instrument for ameliorating the economic challenges”.

The minister assured that the FCTA and the NYSC FCT Governing Board, in collaboration with the six Area Councils, would accord the NYSC FCT Secretariat all necessary support to ensure provision of basic welfare for corps members.

Earlier, Mr Salawu Abdulrazak, the NYSC FCT Coordinator, commended the efforts of the minister and commitment to facilitating the smooth operations of the NYSC in the FCT.

He urged corps members to utilize all the skills they learned during the orientation course as it was geared towards preparing them to effectively impact their communities of service.

“I urge you to remember that you represent so many interests as such you have no choice than to make a success of the service year,” Abdulrazak said.

Newsverge reports that more than 3,200 corps members participated in the three-week orientation course.