From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Edo State governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, yesterday, urged the corps members posted to the state for their one year compulsory service to their fatherland to seek opportunity in agriculture after their service year to boost food production in the country.
He gave the advice at the swearing-in ceremony of the 2024 Batch “C” Stream 1 corps members at the Permanent Orientation Camp, Okada.
Besides the agriculture, he also urged them to invest in education, technology, entrepreneurship, and tourism, adding that, these sectors are central to his development agenda, just as he encourages them to tap into them, leveraging the NYSC platform as a launch pad for their personal and professional aspirations.
The governor who was represented by his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, explained that the orientation course is designed to equip them with the skills, knowledge, and mindset needed for them to excel during their service year and in their future endeavours.
Earlier, the state coordinator of the scheme, Mrs. Ben-Ushie Frances said a total of 1,187 prospective corps members comprising of 505 male and 682 female corps
members have been duly registered and are ready to be sworn in as members of the National Youth Service Corps.
She assured the governor of the scheme’s continuous contributions to the social and economic development of the state, stressing that over the years, the scheme has consistently provided skilled manpower to the critical sectors of the state’s economy, enhanced labour mobility, and promoted
national unity through the deployment of corps members across all communities in the state.
While appreciating the Edo State Government for the provision of
luxurious buses to convey corps members to the 18 local government areas at
the end of every orientation camp as well as the recent supply of 1000 plastic chairs and 700 mattresses, Mrs. Frances said the camp is still in a dire need of annual state subvention to enhance the operations of the scheme in the state as stipulated in the NYSC Act.
Other things needed include availability of a multipurpose hall as the dinning hall is presently being utilized for all hall activities, distinctive demarcation and documentation of the extension of the camp premises to prevent encroachment by unauthorized
individuals, feeding augmentation during the orientation course as well as payment of state allowance to serving corps members to prevent massive relocation of corps members to other states.
The state coordinator also appealed to the state governor to wade in on the issue of high electricity tariffs and running costs of generators, pointing out that these have significantly increased the operational costs of running the orientation camp.