Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has charged corps members serving in the state to acquire useful skills, build relationships across ethnic and cultural lines and contribute meaningfully to national development.
Soludo gave the charge on Saturday while addressing the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream 2 Inter-Platoon Cultural Carnival at the Charles Chukwuma Soludo Pavilion, Nnamdi Azikiwe NYSC Unity Permanent Orientation Camp, Umuawulu/Mbaukwu, Awka South Local Government Area.
The Governor, represented at the event by the Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports and Chairman of the NYSC Governing Board, Mr Patrick Agha Mba, said the carnival provided an opportunity for young Nigerians from diverse backgrounds to celebrate their heritage and strengthen national unity.
He welcomed the corps members to Anambra and urged them to consider the state their home for the duration of their service.
“You came to Anambra from different parts of Nigeria, but for the duration of your service, Anambra is now your home,” Agha Mba quoted the Governor as saying.
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He urged the corps members to use their service year to establish meaningful friendships, acquire new skills and contribute positively to their host communities.
Agha Mba said the Anambra State Government was committed to youth development through skills acquisition, digital training, entrepreneurship and innovation.
He disclosed that 13,300 young people had been trained and empowered with skills and grants, while more than 20,000 others had received digital skills training.
According to him, the government was creating opportunities for young people to develop their talents, establish enterprises and compete in the global economy.
“Our mission is very clear: build here, innovate here, create here, and compete globally,” he said.
Also speaking, the Anambra State Commissioner for Tourism, Udorji Amedu, urged the corps members to preserve their languages and cultural heritage, describing culture as an important link between individuals and their roots.
He encouraged corps members from different ethnic groups to learn about and promote their respective cultures while embracing the shared values that bind Nigerians together.
The NYSC State Coordinator, Pauline Ojisua, commended the corps members for their creativity, dedication and commitment to the preparations for the carnival.
Ojisua described the event as a demonstration of the strength that could emerge from Nigeria’s cultural diversity, stressing that the country’s different traditions could promote rather than hinder national unity.
She also expressed appreciation to the Anambra State Government for its continued support for the NYSC scheme.
The Chairman of the Carnival Committee, Augustine Ogiator, said the event reflected the NYSC principle of unity in diversity.
He urged the corps members to compete fairly, respect one another’s cultures and use the carnival to establish lasting friendships across ethnic and cultural boundaries.
Ogiator stressed that competition among the platoons did not represent division, noting that the corps members remained united by their common commitment to national service.
Platoon Nine emerged as the winner of the carnival competition, which featured traditional costumes, music, dances and other cultural displays by corps members from different parts of Nigeria.
The carnival brought together young Nigerians from diverse cultural backgrounds in a celebration aimed at promoting cultural appreciation, national integration and national unity.
