NYSC@48: We’ve made impact in hard-to-reach communities, says Gombe Coordinator
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) says the scheme has made significant impact in hard to reach communities across the country within its 48 years of existence.
The Gombe State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Ada Imoni, in an interview with newsmen at the temporary orientation camp in Amada community, Gombe State on Saturday during a cultural carnival to mark the 48th anniversary of the Scheme said they have delivered on their mandate since establishment.
Imoni said the impact of the scheme on youths and Nigeria was impressive and had helped to empower youths through skills acquisition programmes which had made them self-reliant.
“ NYSC has made a lot of impact within this 48 years of its existence especially on youths as well as helping to enhance peaceful coexistence and national unity and integration.
“ We have delivered so far on our mandate; we have more to do. We have been reforming and we will sustain that reformation to mould our youths with the right kind of national spirit and patriotism.
Imoni noted that corps members through the scheme had impacted hard-to-reach communities across Nigeria over the years in service to their fatherland and helping to tell the Nigerian story to the grassroots.
“ Our teachers and doctors and other corps members of different disciplines have been to several communities to help impact knowledge and improve the health status of rural dwellers; even our response to the COVID-19 pandemic was impressive,” she said.
The state Coordinator who objected to the idea of scrapping the scheme said the role of the scheme in promoting national unity and integration, bringing together youths from different backgrounds, ethnic and religious beliefs was helping to foster peaceful coexistence in the country.
Some corps members who spoke to our correspondent said they would wish to serve again if given the opportunity in view of the orientation the scheme was impacting on them
.
Richard Peter, a corps member from Oyo State, said coming to Gombe would have been “impossible had it not been for the NYSC,” adding that it made him more knowledgeable about other cultures and the ethnic diversity of Nigeria.
“The NYSC is doing well in uniting the diverse cultures of the country; imagine today I saw corps members representing the culture of different ethnic groups and they are happy.
“The cultural carnival has helped corps members from other ethnic groups to adapt to the cultures that are not theirs. These must be sustained and the best way is to keep the NYSC.”
Bilkisu Abdullahi, another corps member said NYSC’s impact on youths in terms of empowerment and even exposing them to the diverse cultures of different ethnic groups in the country was something that needed to be strengthened and supported in the interest of peace and unity going forward.