The Nasarawa State Coordinator of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Abdullahi Jikamshi has spoken on the need for employers to make proper utilisation of the Corps members posted to their organisations for community development.
The NYSC Coordinator made the call during a courtesy call on the Nasarawa State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Lafia on Tuesday.
He explained that the scheme had achieved a lot and contributed immensely to the development of the State in different sectors since the creation of the State in 1996.
Jikamshi further appealed to stakeholders to always make arrangement for accommodation, little welfare as well as ensure the security of the Corps members posted to their organisations to make their stay worthwhile.
“We do not expect you to do more for the Corps members, a little welfare, accommodation and ensure their security is enough and will make them feel welcome and would stay.
“Lack of accommodation alone is sufficient reason for a Corps member to apply for redeployment to other States or places where he or she will be properly taken care of,” he added.
The Nasarawa State coordinator of NYSC also said that most organisations were not properly engaging the Corps members posted to them.
“When you assign responsibility to a Corps member only one or two times in a week, what do you expect him or her to do with the other days and time,” he asked.
Jikamshi further explained that Corps members were all youths, full of energy and initiative to add value to the society and appealed that host communities should engage them everyday.
He said the inability to properly engage Corps members was mostly the reason why some of them abscond from duty posts and engaged in unnecessary travels that often lead to unfortunate accidents and kidnappings.
The State Coordinator also appealed to the government and spirited individuals and groups to support the scheme in cash and kind.
He explained that the community development service is the second cardinal objective of the scheme and called for support to enable the Corps members add value the their host communities.
On the essence of the visit, the coordinator said the importance of journalists to the development of the society cannot be undermined, hence their decision to partner the NUJ in the area of information dissemination.
“We want you to use your wide reach to disseminate information on the activities of NYSC and the good work that Corps members were doing across the State,” he added.
Responding, the State NUJ Chairman, Comrade. Salihu Alikali, expressed gratitude to the management of NYSC for the visit and the desire for partnership.
The Chairman assured that journalists in the State would continue to promote the good work the scheme had been doing through news stories, special reports and phone-in programmes.
He therefore, appealed to the State and local government as well as other spirited individuals to support the scheme to serve the state better. (NAN).
