Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) on Friday swore in 1,600 corps members of the 2023 Batch ‘B’ Stream 1 set, deployed to Enugu State for the one-year mandatory national service.
The Enugu State Coordinator, NYSC, Mrs Gladys Adama gave the number during the swearing-in ceremony at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Awgu Local Government Area, Enugu.
Adama added that more corps members were still reporting to the camp.
She urged the newly sworn-in corps members to participate in all the activities in the camp if they want to benefit from the course and have a successful service.
She stressed that the orientation exercise had provided them the opportunity to learn vocational skills and to set up businesses of their own instead of searching for jobs after their one year assignment.
The coordinator commended Enugu State Government for its continuous assistance to the NYSC scheme in the state.
She appealed for the intervention of the state government in upgrading the facilities in the camp, provision of operational vehicles to facilitate the inspection of corps members and subsidising the corps members’ feeding in the orientation camp.
Declaring the three weeks orientation programme open, Gov. Peter Mbah urged the corps members to make conscious effort to diminish those things that divide them.
Mbah, represented by the Deputy Governor, Mr Ifeanyi Ossai, advised them to resist those who hate the peace and harmony in the society.
“The lesson we have learnt from the bitter civil war is that we must resist those who hate us and make conscious effort to diminish those things that divide us,” he urged.
He said that his administration intended to collaborate with NYSC in the implementation of youth orientated programmes geared towards skills acquisition training and poverty eradication.
He urged the corps members to exhibit the highest degree of loyalty, dedication, discipline and commitment to national ideals.
The governor assured the NYSC that his administration would have constructive consideration on their request as regards the challenges in the orientation camp in Awgu.
Administering the oath of allegiance to the corps members earlier, the Enugu State Chief Judge, Justice Raymond Ozoemena, who was represented by Justice Anthony Onovo, urged the corps members to be law-abiding during and after the service year.
Ozoemena urged the corps members to take maximum benefits of opportunity that was availed to them in the state.