2 NYSC members receive Sultan Community Service Award

Two National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have won the Sultan Abubakar Sa’ad III Community Service Award in Sokoto State.

The state NYSC Coordinator, Alhaji Musa Abubakar said in an interview with our correspondent on Wednesday in Sokoto, that the recipients were of the 2016 batch ‘A’, stream 1,

He gave the names of the awardees as Mr Clifford Udeh and Miss Shekirat Adetona, who served in Government Girls Day Secondary School, Bashire and Government Junior Secondary School, Ginga in Tambuwal and Shagari local government areas respectively.

He said that the Sultan’s award was for corps members who served in rural areas and distinguished themselves in their interactions with locals and community development initiatives.

Abubakar said that out of the 1,875 corps members under the batch who completed their service year on Nov. 2, seventeen also received awards for outstanding performance.

He said that among the 17, four obtained state government awards, three won local government awards while 10 received commendations for efficient service in their various places of primary assignments.

Abubakar also disclosed that two corps members from Sokoto state won second and third positions in fashion design and leather works respectively at the NYSC national skills and entrepreneurship competition.

“We are hopeful that some corps members from the state will get presidential awards as the committee begins to screen nominations from states,” the official said.

On sanctions, the coordinator said that six corps members would repeat the service year for absconding from their places of primary assignments, while 10 others had their service year extended for between two weeks and one month, for various offences.

He said that the NYSC had partnered with some agencies to impart business skills to corps members in order for them to be productive during and after service.

Abubakar said that the Bank of Industry, Central Bank of Nigeria, Heritage Bank and poverty eradication agencies had granted loans ranging from N1 million to N3 million to some corps members.

“At present 10 corps members have established business outfits based on the training they received and are prepared to stay in Sokoto after the service year,” the coordinator said.

He identified lack of accommodation as a major challenge facing corps members in the state and appealed to the state government and other corporate bodies to assist.