NYSC: Pay attention to security of corps members, D-G urges employers

The Director-General, National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Yushau Ahmed, has urged employers of corps members to pay particular attention to security of corps members posted to their organisations.

Ahmed, represented by Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed, NYSC acting Zonal Coordinator, South East, gave the advice during the 2023 Corps Employers Workshop on Thursday in Enugu with the theme “Enhancing the Wellbeing of Corps Members for Optimum Productivity.”

He said that the workshop was aimed at receiving feedback from strategic stakeholders on the strength, weakness and potentials of the scheme, as well as chart ways of strengthening its operations in the post jubilee era.

“We are also expected to review ways of addressing the welfare needs of corps members in their places of primary assignment and deliberate on how to ensure safety of corps members in their places of assignments.

“We are expected to look at the roles of the corps employers in community development service, skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development, security during service and health initiative for rural dwellers,” he said.

The NYSC Enugu State Coordinator, Mrs Gladys Adama, said that the theme of this year’s workshop was more apt in the present situation, where Nigerians were faced with increased insecurity coupled with the dwindling resources to adequately take care of the ever expanding corps population.

Adama added that security of corps members was an issue that must always be given adequate attention.

She urged the employers not to apply for corps members if they could not provide accommodations for them or give them money in lieu of accommodations.

During the business session, Mrs I. Oladipo, Deputy Director, Account, NYSC South East, presented a paper on “The role of NYSC and corps employers in impacting the host community through community development service, health initiative for rural dwellers, skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development in the post jubilee era.”

Oladipo said that community development service programme of the NYSC was one out of the four cardinal programmes of the NYSC scheme in which corps members contribute positively to the development of their host communities.

She added that the NYSC skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development projects reached out to all Corps members mobilised for the one-year mandatory service to the nation.

She urged the employers to emphasise more on the welfare of the corps members as well as correct them when they go wrong.

Meanwhile, Mrs Dimma Anyaocha, Assistant Director, Operations, NYSC, South East, in her presentation on “The role of corps employers in ensuring the welfare and security of Corps members”, said that corps employers who played a major role in the welfare and security of the past 50 years deserve to be celebrated.

Anyaocha identified notable victories of the employers, adding that some of them had successfully retrained or employed corps members after their service year, some corps members, with the recommendation from the corps employers, had won NYSC awards and even moved on to get jobs in other sectors, among others.

Some employers, who participated, urged the NYSC to provide accommodations for the corps members in all the Local Government Areas.

A warrant Officer, David Igbidi, from Air Force Comprehensive School, Agbani, Enugu, said his school had adequate conducive accommodations for the corps members posted to the school.

He requested for NYSC medical personnel to be posted to his school.

Mr Johnson Ugochinyelu of Akpugoeze High School, Akpugoeze, Enugu, said that most of the schools in Enugu did not have accommodations for their staff, therefore, the corps members would find it difficult to be given accommodation.