Renovate Our Orientation Camp, Cross River NYSC Urges Govt

The Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps in Cross River, Mr. Eddy Megwa, has appealed to the state government to assist the scheme in the renovation of its permanent orientation camp in Obubura.

Megwa, who made the appeal on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabar, said the renovation would make for more conducive orientation exercise in the camp.

He said every meaningful government would identify with the NYSC because of the socio-economic development it brought to all sectors of any state, as well as Nigeria.

“It is said that even where indigenes were afraid of going, you will find corps members there, that is national unity that the scheme is building.

“If anybody is calling for disintegration, he is wasting his time because his brothers and sisters are here.

“We have also seen a lot of inter-tribal marriages which are conceived during the youth service year,” he said.

He said that the NYSC scheme had gone digital by linking with the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board and the West African Examination Council.

He said the measure was to help detect those who were above 30 years and still plan to serve against the scheme’s rules.

According to him those that graduated below 30 and evaded service will definitely serve even if they are 60, especially if they want to work or serve with the government.

He said that the scheme mobilised about 350,000 corps members annually, adding that no contractor had been able to produce the uniforms that would go round.

He said that the NYSC had to segment the production of the uniforms and give them to different contractors which caused the sharp differences noticed in the quality of the uniforms.

“”Yes, I agree with you that there are sharp differences in the uniform colours and all that, but the NYSC headquarters is addressing it.

“I am sure that in no time, this issue would be resolved.

“The number NYSC is dealing with today cannot be compared to what we had at the beginning of the scheme.

“When the scheme started, we had about 2,000 and a fraction mobilised; but today, we are talking about 350,000 annually,” he said.

_NAN