By Anne Azuka
The Director- General National Youths Service Corps(NYSC), Brigadier General Olukunle Oluseye Nafiu has assured the safety of lives of Corps members in Nigeria throughout their service year.
DG Nafiu gave the assurance shortly after interacting with Corps members presently in camp during his State visit to the 2025 Batch ‘A’ Stream 11 Orientation Course at the NYSC Permanent Orientation camp Issele-Uku in Aniocha North Local Government Area of the state.
According to DG NYSC, NYSC is always conscious of safety of lives of it’s Corps members across the country and it is our policy that we do not deploy the corps members in arm’s way.
“By that we do our background checks with collaborative security agencies; the police, the Civil Defence, DSS, the military and others including the community and their leadership. They engage with the key leaders within the communities so to be assured of the safety of these Corps members.
“We get periodic updates from the security on the safety of lives and property in areas where these Corps members are deployed.
“And from time to time we review our deployment, once we sense any danger, we are warned and we quickly pull out our Corps members, And so there is element of stability anywhere you see our Corps members. It means it’s a safe place and we will continue to do that”, he pledged
DG NYSC expressed appreciation to the Press for their reportage on activities and issues that concern the Corps members.
While interacting with the Corps members at the camp, he urged them to diversify in handiwork, especially in the training being given to them in the camp to avoid being in the unemployment market after their service year.
“I don’t want you to join that population in the unemployment rate, try to be diligent and focus by engaging in camp training seriously. As we are training you, we have partners that are willing to empower you by providing you with starter kiths, grants and all what not.
DG Nafiu advised Corps members to help themselves by saving from their monthly allowances during their service year for investment in future.
“You can save from your N77,000 monthly allowance. People do it, you can save 30 percent of your monthly allowance and use 70 percent. Some former Corps members while receiving N33,000 allowance, still saved money out of it. So you can always save, it is achievable.
He urged them to launch the future of the country as the leaders of tomorrow, saying “NYSC is a national and mandatory scheme you all must go through as Nigeria young graduates from the universities, polytechnics and monotechnics.
“The service year is a clarion call that you must obey; a call to service as enshrined in the NYSC anthem.
“The NYSC is to build bridges, cultural affiliation and that is why you have been introduced to cultural awareness lecture.
“You should build our nation high; under the sun or in the rain, with dedication and selflessness. Nigeria we serve and we must serve this country as youths, as leaders of tomorrow, and stay in this state to build this nation, complete your service year, don’t japa.
Nafiu admonished Corps members to engage in different skills in order to have multiple strides of income, saying “that is why NYSC is introducing you to acquire practical skills through the in-camp Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development(SAED) programme to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to be self-reliant, job creators and future leaders”.
Earlier, the State Coordinator, NYSC Delta, Mr. John Kwaghe told DG that the camp has approximately the capacity of 3,500 corps members due to a new inflow of hostel of about 750 capacity in the camp that just been rebuilt by the State government.
He disclosed that the camp is presently training a total of one thousand, six hundred and twenty (1,620)Corps members, comprising of eight hundred and fifty-one(851) males and seven hundred and 769 sixty-nine females deployed to Delta State.
He said the Corps members have been committed and disciplined to the activities in the camp, especially in skills acquisition training.
“We have been able within a short time attracted the attention of the state government to challenges being encountered in the camp. This has led to the ongoing road construction within the camp that will make the Corps members comfortable. We have also attracted 229 Solar lights from the NDDC to the camp.
NYSC State Coordinator listed some of the challenges encountered in the camp to include low perimeter fence, weak generator provided by NYSC headquarters over fifteen years ago, expressing hope of receiving a new one.
