The National Youth Service Corps has appointed Tanimu Yunusa as the new state coordinator for Abia.

Mr Yunusa, who hails from Sokoto, assumed office as the 18th NYSC coordinator in Abia.

He took over from Gladys Adama, who has been redeployed to the Human Resources Department at the NYSC national headquarters in Abuja.

The formal handover ceremony was held on Tuesday at the NYSC state secretariat in Umuahia.

Until his appointment, Mr Yunusa was acting head of publicity at the directorate headquarters.

In her valedictory speech, Ms Adama expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve in Abia and attributed her achievements to the teamwork and cooperation of NYSC staff and management.

She described the staff as “the best in the scheme” and urged them to extend the same high level of support to her successor.

Mr Yunusa thanked the staff for the warm reception and appealed for their continued cooperation. He pledged to operate an open-door policy and prioritise staff welfare during his tenure.

Earlier at the event, two ex-corps members of the 2024 service year, Solomon Abonyi (AB/24B/0728) and Esther Aderibigbe (AB/24B/0388), were conferred with the State Honours Award.

They were recognised for their outstanding contributions to Abia’s socio-economic development.

Mr Abonyi, an Enugu native, studied Medicine and Surgery at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, while Ms Aderibigbe, from Osun, is a Nursing graduate of the University of Ilorin, Kwara.

In recognition of their service, Governor Alex Otti offered both recipients automatic employment and a cash gift of N500,000 each, alongside certificates of honour.

(NAN)