On Tuesday, Governor Siminalayi Fubara pledged that his administration would provide adequate security and welfare for NYSC members deployed to Rivers.

He said this at the swearing-in ceremony of the 2023 Batch ‘C’ Stream II corps members.

Mr Fubara said his government would leave no stone unturned toward ensuring the security and welfare of corps members serving in Rivers. He commended the NYSC management for training corps members to be self-employed at the end of the service year through the Skill Acquisition Entrepreneurship Development Programme (SAED).

He also commended the partnership between the NYSC and various governmental and non-governmental funding institutions and partners, “who are playing vital roles in building the capacity of the corps members to become business owners and entrepreneurs through the SAED programmes.”

The governor said with sustained efforts in improving the knowledge of corps members through the SAED programme, the country would soon witness a positive resurgence in its economic fortunes due to the innovative ideas gained from the programme.

Mr Fubara said his government’s social contract with the people and pledge to be steadfast and resolute in giving them the best democracy dividend remained sacrosanct.

“I am confident that with God on our side, we will deliver, we will never lose focus in fulfilling our promises to uplift the quality of life for the youths as the bedrock of our society and, by doing so, make Rivers the envy of other states,” he said.

The Rivers governor charged the corps members to be exemplary and dedicated in all they do in the camp and throughout their service year to repay Nigerians for the faith and trust placed in them.

Mr Fubara urged them to discipline their watchword in camp and to shun social vices, cultism, religious intolerance, violence and indiscipline. He encouraged them to imbibe more values and acceptable social behaviour as captured in the motto of the NYSC scheme, which is service and humility.

He advised the camp officials to uphold the camp rules and regulations to come out as disciplined and well-behaved youths after the camp.

NYSC coordinator in Rivers, Hamilton Amadi, appealed to Mr Fubara for urgent intervention in tackling the problem of inadequate mattresses in the camp flooding of the camp market due to improper drains.

He said there was a need to equip the dining hall with seats, tables, and industrial fans, pay monthly allowances to corps members, and urgently renovate the hostels in the camp and other facilities.

He urged the corps members to use the opportunity of their service year to uplift themselves, their families, institutions of graduation, the NYSC scheme, Rivers and the nation at large.

(NAN)