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Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has called for the re-invigoration of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to make the scheme more relevant than ever before.
The governor, who gave the charge while speaking at the opening of the NYSC 2014 Batch `A’ Pre-orientation Workshop held at the Banquet Hall of Premier Hotel, Ibadan on Wednesday.
He said that the need for re-invigoration of the scheme had become necessary in view of the challenges that the nation was currently facing.
While acknowledging the pivotal roles which NYSC had played in nation building and development, Governor Ajimobi said that it had successfully served as the cement that held together the fabrics of the country.
“The dreams of the founding fathers of this noble scheme are being fulfilled in the inter-marriages that happen among corps members during their service year and their knowledge of the nature and ways of lives of other ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria during this period.
“The trend is also noticeable in many spheres of our national life. It is our humble desire that the NYSC keeps up the tempo and breaks new grounds as well,’’ he said.
The governor also reiterated his administration’s continuous partnership with the scheme in the area of skills acquisition “with all seriousness’’, adding that efforts would be intensified to ensure the completion of the permanent orientation camp , with a promise that the 2014 Batch `A’ orientation course would hold at the new site come 11th March, 2014.
This gesture, he said, was in fulfillment of the transformation agenda of his administration to deliver dividends of democracy to the people and leave its footprints on the sands of time, stressing “it is also a demonstration of our belief in the lofty ideals of this noble scheme and the ability of our youths to build a greater Nigeria’’.
Governor Ajimobi urged the scheme, as critical stakeholders in the Nigeria project, to strive to come up with far-reaching decisions that would improve the orientation course and by implication, the entire service years.
Speaking at the occasion, the Director-General of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Johnson Bamidele Olawumi said that the pre-orientation workshop was usually a platform for the scheme and other collaborating agencies to interact and come up with strategies for a smooth orientation programme.
This, he said, was because the orientation exercise constituted an avenue through which graduates who were mobilized for national service were mobilized for national service were prepared and transformed into patriots who would always be ready to put in their best into service to their fatherland.
Gen. Olawumi expressed appreciation to Governor Ajimobi for the cooperation and support which the scheme had always enjoyed, particularly the completion of the permanent orientation camp as well as the welfare and security of corps members.
