Brig.-Gen. Muhammad Fadah, Director-General (DG) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has urged stakeholders to support the creation of the NYSC Trust Fund.
Fadah made the appeal during his speech at the Swearing-in Ceremony for the 2022 Batch ‘B’ (Stream 1) corps members mobilized and deployed to Ondo State on Tuesday in Ikare-Akoko.
The D-G, represented by the Ondo State Coordinator of NYSC, Mrs Victoria Ani, stated that the trust fund, which was in the final stages of legislation, would address infrastructure challenges and provide start-up capital for corps members.
Fadah stated that the deployment of corps members from their home countries, as well as their mix of ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds, was intended to promote national unity and integration.
“This policy will not only offer you the opportunity for a broader understanding of the country, but also entrench the culture of working together in an atmosphere filled with friendship, peace, harmony, and a shared vision of a great and prosperous Nigeria,” he said.
He reminded the corps members that the oath of allegiance they had taken was expected to guide their behavior during the service year as well as have an everlasting influence on their lives after service.
Fadah urged the newcomers to the NYSC family to maintain the high level of discipline and enthusiasm they had shown thus far, and to follow the camp rules and regulations.
“You must continue to distant yourselves from cultism, drug abuse and other social vices.
“I urge you not to use social media for negative purposes, but deploy same for the promotion of national unity and development,” he said.
The D-G also reminded the corpers that white-collar jobs were becoming scarce and encouraged them to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) program.
“You are expected to choose from any of the skill areas, and make yourselves available for the training, which starts from the orientation camp.
“On our part, management will continue to work with relevant stakeholders for the success of the programme,” he said.
Fadah urged all corps members, as well as the rest of the camp community, to strictly follow the non-pharmaceutical protocols of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to take all preventive measures as directed.
He congratulated the 1,300 corps members deployed to Ondo State and praised their patriotism and commitment to serving the fatherland to the best of their abilities.
In addition, the prospective corps members were sworn in by the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Williams Akintoroye, who was represented by Justice John Abe.
