By Gloria Afajagbe
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has called on the Edo State Government to address the challenges faced by Corps members in the orientation camp, including inadequate hostel accommodation and hospital beds, among others.
The NYSC state coordinator, Mrs. Foluke Oladeinde made the appeal during the swearing-in ceremony of Batch ‘A’ Stream II corp members deployed to the state.
Foluke urged the government to complete the sport arena and expand the perimeter fence in the camp so as to prevent encroachment.
She said: “The scheme faces inadequate hostel accommodation for both male and female corps members and collaborating agencies.
“There should be provision of hospital bed in the ultra modern camp clinic, two additional borehole to complement the only one in the camp.
“While we pledge our continuous support towards the lofty goals of the “Mega” agenda of your government, we are appealing to His Excellency to intervene by way of solving these problems as it would aid the smooth running of the orientation camp”.
The state coordinator added that a total of 1,310 corps members comprising of 579 males and 731 females had been registered as at the closed of registration by midnight on April 27.
In his remarks, Governor Godwin Obaseki, represented by the Commissioner for Youth and Humanitarians Affair, Barrister Andrew Ewanta assured that the state government would continue to support the scheme in realising its objectives.
“All the state government ongoing projects in the camp would be completed before the end of this service year,” he said.
Barrister Ewanta, however advised the corp members to key into the scheme’s Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Programme offered by government to empower the youths to be self reliant as white collar jobs are not readily available.
He urged them to serve with commitment wherever they are posted to for their primary assignments and to make profile solution to host community problems.