Katsina to renovate NYSC permanent orientation camp

Gov. Dikko Radda said the plan on Friday in Katsina during the formal opening of the 2026 Batch C Stream II NYSC orientation course for corps members at the camp.Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Ibrahim Ali-Duste, Radda said the Ministries of Works and Youth Development had received his renovation directive already.

Radda expressed optimism that the renovation would be substantially completed before the first batch of corps members arrives in 2027, ensuring improved facilities for subsequent orientation exercises at the permanent camp.

He said the intervention would improve accommodation, training facilities, skills acquisition opportunities and other essential infrastructure, creating a more suitable environment for corps members during their mandatory orientation and national service.

The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the welfare, safety and security of corps members serving in Katsina, assuring them of continued government support throughout their national service year.

Radda urged corps members to embrace patriotism, discipline, tolerance, integrity, hard work and selfless service, saying those values would help them contribute positively to national development and community life across society.

He described the NYSC scheme as an important instrument for promoting national integration and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians from different backgrounds, cultures and regions across the country during national service nationwide.

Radda urged corps members to respect the cultures and traditions of their host communities and contribute meaningfully to grassroots development through active participation in local initiatives and community-based projects across Katsina.

He encouraged them to utilise the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme to acquire practical skills, develop business ideas and explore viable entrepreneurship opportunities during their service year locally.

Radda identified agriculture, agro-processing, livestock production, information technology, renewable energy, creative industries and small-scale manufacturing as sectors offering considerable economic potential and opportunities for corps members to build sustainable livelihoods regionally.

Earlier, the NYSC State Coordinator, Mr Evans Okwor, said 1,494 corps members had registered for the exercise as of Nov. 6, comprising graduates deployed from different parts of Nigeria in Katsina.

He said the registered corps members comprised 853 males and 641 females, who were participating in the three-week orientation programme at the state’s permanent NYSC camp in Katsina at the camp.

Okwor said the three-week orientation course, which commenced on Nov. 4, would end on Nov. 24, after activities designed to prepare participants for their national service assignments during the three-week stay.

He explained that the programme was designed to prepare corps members physically, mentally and psychologically for their one-year national service, while familiarising them with the expectations and responsibilities ahead, and professionally.

Okwor listed leadership training, military drills, socio-economic development lectures, cultural enlightenment, sporting activities and security awareness among the activities scheduled for the orientation course at the camp during their stay.

He said other scheduled activities included civic enlightenment and skills acquisition, which were intended to equip corps members with useful knowledge and practical abilities before their deployment to communities in Katsina.

The coordinator appealed to the state government to commence comprehensive camp renovation, saying poor facilities had affected corps members’ deployment to Katsina and the state’s ability to attract participants annually.

Okwor urged the government to utilise the available window before March 2027 to undertake the renovation, emphasising the need to improve facilities before future orientation activities resumed without further delay.

He cited the anticipated interruption of orientation activities due to the elections as a reason for expediting the work and completing improvements within the available period before the next scheduled orientation.

Okwor described corps members as valuable human resources who would contribute to healthcare delivery, teaching, agricultural extension and community development in their respective places of primary assignment across Katsina during their year of service.

He appreciated the state government, security agencies and other stakeholders for their continued support towards the successful administration of the scheme and the conduct of the orientation exercise.

It was reported that the ceremony featured corps members taking the oath of allegiance, administered by Dr Basira Umar, Chief Registrar of the Katsina High Court of Justice, at the camp.

Umar represented the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Musa Abubakar, at the ceremony, where corps members pledged to uphold the values and responsibilities expected of them throughout their national service year.

The 2026 orientation course is expected to equip corps members with the discipline, leadership qualities and practical skills required for effective national service and meaningful contributions to their host communities across Katsina.