NYSC mulls plans to establish radio station – DG

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) says plans are underway to establish a radio station as part of its strategy to improve communication between the corps and members of the public.

The NYSC Director-General, Maj.-Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the “2018 NYSC Press and Public Relations Officers Workshop”.

Kazaure said the radio also aimed at meeting the needs of the increasing corps population.

He said that the establishment of the radio station would expand the NYSC’s public relations tools and enlighten Nigerians on the corps’ operations and achievements.

“I am happy to inform you that in furtherance of management’s resolve to expand our public relations tools and get Nigerians to be more aware of our operations and achievements we are exploring the possibility of establishing a radio station for the NYSC.

“This is part of our communication strategies in response to the rapid growth in corps population and increased stakeholder expectations.

“Given the fact that young graduates are part of our primary stakeholders, we must avail the scheme of the benefits of the various social media platforms which the youths find so appealing.

“I wish to therefore caution the social media team of the NYSC both at the state secretariat and the national headquarters to handle their assignments in the most professional way possible.

“This is to avoid any backlash that could result from posting inappropriate content,” Kazaure said.

The director-general also charged the public relations officers to work towards improving the image of the scheme by aligning all communication strategies with current global trends.

Dr Arthur-Martins Aginam, a Lecturer in the Mass Communication Department of Baze University, Abuja, urged the corps to re-invent itself and improve its system of communication with the public.

Aginam, who was the Guest Speaker at the event, also urged NYSC to improve collaboration with security agencies and INEC in order to ensure maximum security protection for corps members.

The lecturer, who restated the important role corps members played during elections, expressed regrets that some corps members had to pay the supreme price in the discharge of their duties due to insecurity.

“When Boko Haram started, we all thought it will last only a little while, but two decades later, the crisis still linger and the devastation it is leaving behind is unfortunate.

“The corps needs to work more effectively with other government security agencies because it is not the responsibility of the NYSC to provide security.

“When the scheme first started, people were excited to serve, but recently, with economic and security challenges on the increase, a lot of people now have reservations about where to serve in the country.

“All organisations face challenges, it is however, their responsibility to find ways to re-invent, address issues and improve on services rendered,” Aginam said.

Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, the Director, Press and Public Relations of NYSC, had earlier explained that the workshop was an opportunity for officers to update themselves on current trends in public relations practice and sharpen their skills for optimal performance.

Adeyemi said that the workshop was anchored on the vision of the NYSC public relations unit to make the scheme focused, proactive, creative, friendly, responsive and result-oriented.

The one-day workshop had its theme as: “Retooling NYSC Public Relations Machinery for Greater Output”.

Our correspondent reports that all public relations officers of NYSC in all states of the federation participated in the workshop.