The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has appealed to the Cross River government to, as a matter of urgency, assist the corps by connecting the camp to the national grid.

Andrew Zemo, coordinator of NYSC in the state, appealed on Wednesday during the Cross River House of Assembly’s plenary.

After the plenary, the coordinator disclosed that he was at the state assembly to witness the deliberation of the motion moved by Martins Achadu, a Yala 2 State Constituency member.

Mr Zemo said the lawmaker had moved a motion for the urgent rehabilitation of the state’s permanent orientation camp in Obubura.

He said the camp in the state was run purely on the generator, adding that with the fuel subsidy removal and increasing price of petroleum products, the appeal to connect the camp to the national grid was imperative.

The coordinator added that the prayer of the scheme was for the state government to come to its rescue by paying stipends to corps members posted there and to rehabilitate the orientation camp, which was in bad shape.

“Lots of corps members are posted to Cross River, and they relocate due to the state of the camp and the fact that the state does not pay stipends like some other states.

“We need rehabilitation of the hostels, which will involve the bedding, toilets, and lecture halls; there is also a need for more boreholes and connecting the camp that has always run on a generator to the national grid.

“Once corps members get to the camp and notice that the facilities are okay, the news will go around, and many of them will desire to come to the state instead of asking to be relocated from the state,” Mr Zemo said.

Earlier, Mr Achadu, who presented the motion on the floor of the house, said if the state could support the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), a federal agency, they could also help the NYSC scheme.

“Not many corps members are posted to my area, even though we desperately need them. This is because not many are sent to Cross River due to the state of our orientation camp and the inability of the state to pay stipends.

“We need the services of the NYSC, so we need to support them like it is done in many other states, and in return, the scheme will send many corps members needed to the state,” he stressed.

The NYSC orientation camp in Obubura lacks a full perimeter fence and is powered by generators which are usually switched off at 10:00 p.m. during orientation programmes. 

(NAN)