NYSC, NUJ task employers to use corps members for community development

Nasarawa State Coordinator of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Abdullahi Jikamshi, has tasked corp 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 to the Nasarawa State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in Lafia.

He explained that the scheme had achieved a lot and contributed immensely to the development of the state in different sectors since the state was created in 1996.

Jikamshi further appealed to stakeholders to always make arrangement for accommodation, little welfare as well as ensure the security of the corp members posted to their organisations to make their stay worthwhile.

“We do not expect you to do more for the corp members, a little welfare, accommodation and providing for their security is enough and will make them stay.

“Lack of accommodation alone is sufficient reason for a corp member to apply for redeployment to other states or places where he or she will be properly taken care of,” he noted.

The Nasarawa State coordinator of NYSC also said that most organisations were not properly engaging the corp members posted to them.

“When you assign responsibility to a corp 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 corp 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 corp members was mostly the reason why some of them abscond from duty posts and engage in unnecessary travel that often lead to unfortunate accident and kidnapping.

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 Journalists Union.

“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, NUJ Chairman in the state, Comr. Salihu Alikali, expressed gratitude to the management of NYSC for the visit and 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 appealed to the state and local government as well as other spirited individuals to support the scheme to serve the state better.