The Acting Director of all NYSC formations in the Southwest geopolitical zone, Mrs. Olubukola Oluwaremilekun Abiodun has warned corps members against the redesigning of the national symbol of the noble Scheme- the NYSC uniform.
The acting Director expressed her dismay at the unpleasant attitude of some members of the service corps who are fond of adjusting the khaki shirt and trouser to a ridiculous and unacceptable pattern.
Mrs. Abiodun bared her mind while addressing the 2023 Batch 'C' (Stream 1) corps members at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Ikare-Akoko during an oversight function and part of orientation course assignment.
"Gentlemen corps members, I need to emphasise the need for some of you under the name of fad and fashion to desist from the reckless adjustment of NYSC uniform given to you. The Scheme issued out a combat styled uniform to everyone and it is expected that you put it on the way it was given to you and not indulge in reckless amendment".
"NYSC management frowns at the manner things are going and I need to tell you that the NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Yisha'u Dogara Ahmed, DSS, fdc, fnli, MTRCN, MNARC and the top management has directed that such undignified practice must stop forthwith as anyone caught embarrassing the Scheme will face the consequence in line with the provisions of the NYSC Bye-Law".
She queried the corps members if they had ever seen any member of the Nigeria Armed Forces or paramilitary put on uniform that cast aspersions on the image of their respective organisations.
Mrs. Abiodun who was the erstwhile acting Director, North Central Area Office charged the corps members to make decisions that will guarantee their future.
"My Children in the service to our dear fatherland. NYSC is the only period for you to make a decision that will make or mar your future development. I want to admonish you to act decisively so that the future will hold in stock for you the seed you plant today. This is your year. II want you to be focus-driven and calculative".
"How do you explain at the end of the service year if you have nothing to show despite the intervention known as Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme designed for corps members to learn a skill right from the orientation camp and perfect it through the service year". NYSC assembled well experienced professionals in the skill sets approved by management to give you a direction that will enhance your certificates and expand your capacity".
She said that SAED is optionally compulsory as the Scheme is poised to eradicate unemployment in the country and take away from the streets graduate youths who have the capacity to be employers of labour.
"From the lectures on Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP), you would have realised how serious NYSC is poised to adequately prepare graduate youths for the labour market and protect them with funding options from financial institutions. Do not allow this well thought-out opportunity to elude you".
The one time State Coordinator in Edo State disclosed that the welfare and security of corps members are non negotiable and urged anyone with sickness or ailment to seek adequate medical attention from the health facility approved by the Federal Government.
"Federal Government through NYSC has entered into workable memorandum of understanding with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to provide free medical services to corps members in all the 774 Local Governments nationwide and it is expected you avail yourself of this service".
"Don't pretend all is well when you are sick. Report immediately to the appropriate authority through your Local or Zonal Inspectors and we shall take prompt action because your health matters a lot to us. NYSC is not always at ease when you report health constraints to your parents".
On the agitation to seek relocation on the pretext that Ondo is less industrialised, Mrs. Abiodun opined that peer pressure led many to seek relocation which on the long run may turn to be a bitter pill. She urged them to stay in the Sunshine State to serve their fatherland.
"My decision to remain in Kwara State during my service year paved way for me to get a job in NYSC. To cap it all, God prepared a young man in the NYSC who now becomes my crown and I will forever remain grateful to the Scheme for making me what I am today" she said thankfully.
"Be committed to whatever you are good at. As a volley ball player back then who participated in the NYSC Sports and Cultural Festival, and was declared outstanding and most valuable player, the management of the Scheme thought it wise to compensate me for my steadfastness on the volley ball court with appointment with the grace of God taking me this far. Your selfless service will not go unrewarded if you make more sacrifices to achieve the set objectives of the NYSC programme.
The NYSC top management staff who started her career in Oyo State berated those who dress provocatively to places of primary assignment, saying that they are not representing the Scheme and their families well.
"I can assure you, more than 70 percent of you will be posted to post-primary institutions for your assignment and I would not want you to be a bad influence on the younger generations by dressing provocatively and loosely. The way you dress, is the way you will be addressed. NYSC is a training ground to raise responsible leaders and not a hibernating place for societal misfits".
The humility personified acting Director appealed to corps members to desist from engaging in night journeys which she said had put NYSC in a radar for wrong reasons.
"My beloved children, never engage in night travels because of its high risk. Cut short your journey if it is 6pm and continue the next day. The NYSC Corps Lodges nationwide, Family Houses of the religious bodies; the Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF), National Association of Catholic Corps Members (NACC) and Muslims Corpers Association of Nigeria (MCAN) as well as formations of Armed Forces of Nigeria will accommodate you for the night".
"You have a role to perform in the development of this great nation and that is why you have been mobilised and deployed to Ondo State so you can contribute your quota meaningfully to nation-building" she concluded.
Earlier, the State Coordinator, Mrs. Victoria Nnenna Ani, who was overwhelmingly appreciated by corps members when she read her brief to the visiting acting Director thanked her for making Ondo State NYSC her first port of call on her second missionary journey at the Southwest geopolitical zone.
Mrs. Ani advised the corps members to honour the acting Director by being attentive and display high sense of discipline they have exhibited since the commencement of the orientation course, saying that she is very proud of them all.
The corps members entertained the acting Director, who in turn expressed her generosity in monetary terms to representatives of selected committees among the members of the service corps.
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