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Tag: National Youth Service Corps

  • Corper apologises for calling Lagos ‘smelling’ in viral video

    Corper apologises for calling Lagos ‘smelling’ in viral video

    Viral National Youth Service Corps member based in Lagos, Ushie Uguamaye has apologised for her recent criticism of the State.

    The corps member, also known as Raye, had gone viral for her rant about the government and the financial struggles of young Nigerians.

    In a follow-up post on Instagram, Raye acknowledged that her words may have offended Lagos residents and expressed regret over her choice of language.

    She clarified that her intention was to share honest observation as a visitor, not to insult those who call Lagos home.

    “I want to first of all state that I am sorry to the people who were born and raised in Lagos State if you feel offended by what I said. I am sorry.

    “But as a visitor here, I could tell there was a difference in the atmosphere and quality of air here. If the way that I put it triggered your emotions and the love for your birth state, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to talk down on your birth state,” she wrote.

    Raye explained the criticism was part of a broader initiative, a 30-day rant challenge aimed at spotlighting pressing issues in Nigeria.

    Her goal, she said, was to inspire conversations about the country’s economic conditions and struggles of young people.

    Read Also: Court reserves judgment in Lagos Assembly speakership tussle

    The corps member lamented the financial struggles she and many others face, highlighting how despite working over 45 hours a week, they struggle to afford basic leisure activities. 

    “When I started the 30-day rant challenge, I said I just wanted to be heard. I believed that if I got to DAY-20 people would begin to hear me and join me to speak to the government.

    “My target was to make at least 20 videos complaining until I was heard. Lucky for me, I didn’t even have to get to DAY 2 because a lot of us were actually angry, and Day 1 of the challenge was enough for people to join me.

    “I want better for myself. (And I hope you do too). The complaints I made are valid regardless of whatever ‘lifestyle’ you think I am living.

    “I work 45+ hours a week and I should be able to afford hanging out with my friends every weekend. However, I can’t. But how many of us can actually afford to hang out with our friends? How many can afford that in reality? You spend all week working and can’t even feel alive during the weekends,” she added.

  • Anambra coastal communities celebrate outstanding NYSC members

    It was a memorable day for outgoing 2018 Batch “B” Corps members in Anambra West Local Government Area of Anambra State when the management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) stormed the area.

    Over 63 of them deployed to carry out their one year national service in the riverine communities could not hold back their joy as they trouped out in their numbers to receive the team led by the State Coordinator, Mr. Kehinde Aremu.

    Their excitement was not unexpected as such visits by the NYSC management team were rare in the area in view of the peculiarity of the terrain.

    Among the corps members were four of them who were honoured with Chairman’s Award for distinguishing themselves during their service year.

    The award recipients, Mr Sunday Anonime, Mr Iwuoha Ekemezie, Mr Omotunde Oluwafemi and Miss Grace Eze, were also presented with cash rewards.

    Speaking during the occasion, the NYSC state Coordinator, Mr Kehinde Aremu, said he chose the council area to celebrate with the corps members owing to the peculiarity of the terrain.

    He described Anambra West as a people in special need and promised that the NYSC would do what was within its reach to bridge the manpower deficiency gap.

    He appreciated the council for the love and hospitality shown to the corps members, assuring them that their requests would be considered.

    Commending the corps members for accepting to serve in the hard to reach riverine area to impact positively in the lives of the people, Aremu noted that such sacrifices hardly go unrewarded.

    He said the NYSC would help to tell the story Anambra West to the world, while promising to work on their request.

    The awardee corps members said the community lacked access to quality education, good healthcare and sanitation.

    They said they apparently shouldered the education of the people of the council as they made up the bulk of teachers.

    The only female awardee, Grace Eze, who was among those who declined being evacuated when crises erupted in the area, said she insisted on serving in the community due to the passion she had for the people.

    She said she thought mathematics and physics in the school where she was posted to, saying she also organized tutorials for the students including on weekends.

    “I also thought the locals how to prepare local okpa and abacha. I equally thought them cultural dances,” she added.

    Eze called on the state government to address the myriad of challenges in the area as a way of checking their underdevelopment.

    Earlier, Chairman of the Council, Mr Sylvester Okafor, appealed to the NYSC in the state to post more health specialists to the council to bridge the manpower gap in that sector.

    The council boss said the local government did not have any functional health facility nor government doctors in the 21 health centres in the council and prayed the NYSC to help uplift the people of the area.

    He said they also needed the service of pharmacists and laboratory scientists as there was no place where people can run simple laboratory tests for as little as malaria in the riverine area.

    He said, “Your coming to this place is not just for the fun of it, you have seen the condition of the people here, this is our request and I hope it will be granted, please post more doctors to Anambra West, if we can get five we will be happy.

    “We don’t have a laboratory here where we can even run a simple malaria test in this whole local government, but if we can have laboratory scientists, somebody can come from Ndiora, Oroma can come to Anam for the test.

    “The only hospital we have is a missionary hospital in Mmiata, managed by the Holy Rosary Sisters with one doctor who works day and night, that is why are calling for these graduate doctors to help the people in Igala area, Mmiata and other hard to reach areas.

    “The two we have now are leaving and by that we don’t have any again, so, please send us more doctors, we don’t need them to give us drugs, we need them to give us the manpower.”

    Okafor promised good incentives for corps members who work in the council.

  • Lobbying for relocation risky, NYSC warns corps members

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has warned corps members against lobbying to be relocated out of the states they are deployed for their one-year national service.

    The Director of Corps Mobilization at the NYSC Directorate Headquarters in Abuja, Mrs Nnenna Ukonu, gave the advice on Thursday while addressing corps members undergoing their three-week orientation course in Umunya Camp in Anambra State.

    The director described lobbying for relocation as a risky venture which many later regretted.

    “Avoid lobbying to be relocated out of the state. It may end up in someone lobbying out his or luck or destiny,” she said.

    Read Also: NYSC DG to corps members: be patriotic

    Mrs Ukonu urged the NYSC members to settle down and imbibe the entrepreneurial spirit of their host communities.

    “I challenge you to seize the opportunity being offered by the NYSC skills acquisition to upgrade yourself towards self-reliance at the end of your service year,” she added.

    Cautioning against incessant and unauthorized journeys, the director urged the corps members to use the various information technology platforms to regularly communicate with their parents and loved ones.

    The NYSC State Coordinator Kehinde Aremu thanked the director for the visit.

    He informed her that 2,220 corps members, comprising 1,080 men and 1,140 women were on camp.

    The state coordinator described their conduct as satisfactory.

  • INEC to review MoU with NYSC 

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday revealed that it is planning to review its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on the rules regarding the engagement of corps members as electoral ad hoc staff.

    The Director General, The Electoral Institute, Dr. Sa’ad Umar Idris, made this known in Abuja at the Policy Dialogue on “Dynamics of Delegation: Reforms in the Recruitment of Ad-hoc Election Personnel.”

    He said that “we (INEC) are going to review the MoU with the NYSC to ensure that the members on election duties are loyal and can be held accountable and punished for their actions.”

    According to him, the NYSC staff put the reputation of the commission at stake whenever they are on election duty, stressing that obedience to INEC core values, code and conduct is very important.

    He said that the commission has its core value that anybody working for it being him an ad-hoc or permanent worker has to comply with.

    He said that the need to train the ad-hoc staff and expose them to the core value of the commission has become expedient for “them to do things the way INEC does its own things.”

    Read Also:  Ill-treatment of corps members on electoral duty

    Continuing, he said that “when they (youth corps members) are on the field, they are INEC. Are they loyal to the commission? We need to interrogate that.”

    The commission, according to him, is also mulling administrative measures of dealing with malfeasance, especially a mechanism for punishment such as denial of discharge certificate and a repeat of the service year.

    He insisted on the need for reforms of the electoral policies for the improvement of the conduct of elections.

    The Lead Speaker, Prof. Shola Omotola, had observed that the allowances for the ad-hoc staff were grossly inadequate.

    The don mentioned the challenges of insecurity, late mobilization and training of staff as part of the characteristics of the 2019 general elections.

  • Community decries dearth of doctors

    Residents of Anambra East Local Government Area have lamented the dearth of doctors in the area.

    They appealed to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to deploy corps members who are medical doctors and pharmacists to the community.

    Community chairman Orji Okafor spoke on Thursday in Ezi Anam, at the Passing out Parade (POP) of the 2018 Batch B Stream I youth corps members.

    Okafor lamented that the council, with of 21 health care centres, had no single medical doctor or laboratories, while the few nurses in overwork themselves. The community head said doctor corps members would go a long way in complimenting their efforts.

    Read Also: So, we have enough doctors, eh?

    He said: “We don’t have a single doctor in the 21 health centres which are not close to each other. The only missionary hospital here has a female doctor who works day and night.

    “We currently have only two corper doctors. We will appreciate if you send about five more to us to complement the efforts of the nurses.”

    Okafor, who thanked NYSC for choosing the council for the ceremony, hoped that the visit would attract more government attention to the area.

    NYSC State Coordinator Kehinde Aremu said he chose the council to celebrate the corps members in view of its peculiar terrain. He appreciated the council area for the love and hospitality shown to the corps members, assuring them that their requests would be considered.

    Four corps members who distinguished themselves in their places of primary assignment were presented with certificates of recognition.

  • NYSC to communicate payment of new N30,000 allowance to corps members

    The Director General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, has said the scheme will communicate to corps members when the payment of N30,000 new allowance takes off.

    Ibrahim spoke in Abuja, the nation’s capital, at a workshop/training on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for desk officers of the NYSC.

    When asked when the payment of N30,000 allowance for corps members would take off, he said: “They will be communicated accordingly, please.”

    The DG said the workshop was aimed at consolidating on the successes recorded by the scheme on the use of the FOIA.

    Read Also: 26 must-have things for NYSC orientation camp

    Ibrahim said the scheme had grappled with challenges, which were occasioned by “apparent lack of knowledge of our policies and operations by a section of the public”.

    The DG urged Nigerians to familiarise themselves with the NYSC Act to enable them understand better the operations of the scheme and its role.

    He said: “Since the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act in 2011, the NYSC has been in the forefront of ensuring total compliance with the provisions of the Act.”

    The NYSC Director of Press and Public Relations, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, noted that the scheme had FOI community development service groups for corps members to assist in sensitising the public on the FOI Act.

  • My worries

    FAR back as the mid-1980s, some of us at The Punch then had been saying the northern region of this country would someday reap the whirlwind of the socio-cultural lifestyle that has been in existence in that part for years. I did my national youth service in Yola, then Gongola State capital. I remember vividly how young boys would ‘invade’ our cafeteria in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp and cart away remnants of food, or even attempted to seize the plates of food in the full glare of the corps members eating, if they got distracted for any reason for just a minute. It was that bad. Yet, that was only shortly after Alhaji Umaru Dikko, a chieftain of the corrupt and inept National Party of Nigeria (NPN) administration which was in power in Nigeria at that time reportedly said things were not that bad yet in the country because Nigerians had not started to eat from dustbins! Dikko was at the time the transport minister as well as head of the presidential task force on rice. At the time of my youth service in 1984/85, many youths in Yola were already scavenging the dustbins for food.

    I do not expect this piece to be welcome by the northern elite hat have unleashed on themselves and, the rest of us by vicarious liability, the consequences of their corrupt handling of the affairs of that region, especially in the last six decades or so.

    I have nothing against one Nigeria. But then, I am beginning to see the sense in the demand of those calling for a sovereign national conference to enable us iron out the basis for our continued co-existence. We need to talk. Definitely, things cannot continue the way they are. Nigeria, as we have been running it since the amalgamation of 1914 is not working. Although it was not designed to work ab initio, but we have compounded the problem by ourselves.

    Here in the southwest, parents are ready to sacrifice all they have, probably going naked if they must, just to ensure their children are educated. I remember the expression used by one of my seniors in the university when paying tributes to his parents for their sacrifice to see him through school. He eulogised his parents ‘who gladly embraced poverty to see him through school’. It is not so in the north where illiteracy reigns supreme; hence the millions of children who should be in school are out on the streets begging for alms. They call them almajiris. In the southwest, it is not that we do not have beggars; but it is not seen as part of the people’s culture. As a matter of fact, it is more an abomination for people to beg in this part of the country. As they say, ‘it is condition that made crayfish to bend ‘. But for the bad governance that Nigerians had been subjected to for decades, especially since the military coup of the 1960s that replaced the federal system that was working with the present shapeless structure which is neither unitary nor federal, the number of people begging for alms in this part of the country would have been significantly minimal because, as I said, it is not part of the people’s culture.

    How then can we co-exist with these kinds of peculiarities without sitting down to talk about how to manage our differences? It is generally believed that there is strength in numbers and that our huge population should count for something. But that is not automatic because there is a fundamental fault in the saying that ‘two heads are better than one’. It is only two good heads that can be better than one. One good head is by far better than one million bad heads. When we talk of huge population, we should be mindful of the quality of that population and not just huge population for the sake of it.

    In the early 2000 when Sharia was about becoming a major issue in the country, we wrote an editorial in one of the major newspapers about how Sharia convicts would hop into the next available train from the north, heading straight down south, particularly to Lagos, after their hands had been chopped off for one crime or the other. But it would appear Sharia is for the poor..A former president once characteristically reportedly asked a governor (from the north) that he believed was pilfering public funds how come he (governor) still had his two hands intact! I do not know how many people’s hands had been cut off under Sharia law. But only last week, the media carried the story of some 10 other convicts whose hands are to be cut off. I am neither against Shariah nor its convicts’ free choice to submit themselves to its tenets. My worry is that after cutting off these people’s hands, they either transport them to Lagos or they force themselves into the next available train only to come and constitute social menace down here. For God’s sake, why can’t they remain where they were turned into invalid?

    Now, Kano State House of Assembly has just approved pension for its speaker and his deputy. The pension is equal to the emoluments of a serving speaker and deputy speaker, among other nauseating provisions. The bill, if signed by the governor, will also provide for foreign medical trips and new vehicles every four years for the duo. According to the bill: “There shall be provided for the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker medical expenses either home or abroad, depending on the nature of the illness.” Kano State is not alone in this, though. Bayelsa State governor has just rejected the same self-serving pension for the state’s lawmakers. Even the National Assembly lawmakers attempted the same idea but were stopped by the people. But Kano State’s case is a peculiar mess because the state is home to the highest number of out-of-school-children in the country, about three million of them! This type of feudal mindset is what has turned the north into what it is today.

    The northern states, like other states in the country, have been getting their own share of allocation from the Federation Account. But the bulk of the money has been appropriated by a few elite who believe that it is their birthright to sit atop such money while the talakawa (the poor) must cringe to have the crumbs falling off from the table. Up till 1999 when Nigeria returned to civil rule, the country’s leadership was dominated by people of northern extraction. So, why would their case be this negatively different or peculiar? Why is the north this underdeveloped?

    Why the region is home to many terrorists is not hard to decipher: when you have youths that are not educated and are therefore unskilled, the devil will end up finding jobs for them because they cannot be useful to the society through any other means. I was flabbergasted when on Wednesday newspaper report quoted some northern elders under the aegis of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) as saying that insecurity in the north was worse now than under the Goodluck Jonathan era. But, as we say in Yoruba land, Ajala ta’n no o?  (who is responsible?)

    In the southwest, we believe that a child that was not trained (educated) will be the one to sell off the house that was built (omo ta o ko lo ma gbe ile ti a ko ta). See the havoc that Boko Haram has done? National resources that should have been used for developmental purposes all over the country have to be spent rebuilding the places devastated by these terrorists. Whereas this could have been avoided if the leaders had got their children educated. One has to be this frank because if one’s neighbour is eating an insect that will end up not making one to sleep at night, and you do not warn him, it is the two of you that will end up not sleeping.

    One should naturally be worried when you see a horde of uneducated youths coming in to the south, particularly from the north to a place like Lagos, not for any meaningful jobs but to ride commercial motorcycles. Danger looms (to paraphrase one of my senior colleagues). When these youths who only understand ‘go’ dominate your environment, you will sleep with your two eyes closed at your own peril. Let the northern elite who are the architects of this misfortune have a family meeting now and resolve to right the wrongs to save themselves and the rest of us suffering vicarious liabilities from our calamities.

    Routine commission of crimes is bad enough, when you now add terrorism, the matter becomes even more grievous.

  • Anambra NYSC gains: members propose marriage, some quit cultism

    It is not all bad news. In Anambra State, members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) find love in camp, some rethink fleeing the country and some quit the cults. EMMA ELEKWA reports

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has sometimes fallen into bad weather but those clamouring for its scrapping should consider its gains in Anambra State.

    At the NYSC temporary orientation camp in Umunya, Oyi local council area of the state, over 2,048 corps members demonstrated the whole essence of the scheme, including the spirit of selfless service, unity, integration and patriotism.

    In the just concluded three weeks orientation exercise of 2019 Batch ‘A’ corps members, a marriage contract was initiated among two of the corps members.

    The corps members, Ojodomo Aneh and Victoria Ayodele, both from Kogi State and graduates of Accountancy from Kogi State University, made proposals of love with rings in the presence of their colleagues during the orientation exercise.

    Besides, eight corps members publicly denounced their membership of cult groups.

    Again, no fewer than 15 of them also publicly gave up irregular migration, while others publicly embraced the Nigerian culture for the first time.

    Speaking to The Nation, NYSC State Coordinator, Kehinde Aremu, attributed the landmark achievements to trust and team spirit existing among camp officials.

    He said, “I want to thank God for all the peculiar achievements we’ve been able to record in this camp. God helped us in such a way that we were able to mentor and in the process get two corps members to renounce publicly and we have every confidence that they have finally renounced cultism.

    “We also have about six corps members who gave up publicly and we have every good reason to believe they have finally given up to hard drugs, particularly marijuana.

    “Again, we have about 15 corps members who publicly gave up to irregular migration. That desire to leave the shores of Nigeria has diminished after being exposed to the enormous opportunities and potentials in the country and Anambra State in particular. They have jettisoned the idea of migrating out of the country.

    “More importantly, two of our corps members, even though they have met before they came to camp, posterity brought them together in Anambra State. There was a public declaration of love and proposal with rings witnessed by their colleagues.

    “Yes I know that lots of relationships got established in camp. I’m also aware that some of them are flippant relationships.

    “But I have every good reason to believe that that particular one between Ojodoma will stand the test of time and we’ll all be witnesses to the wedding that the relationship will culminate to.”

    According to him, the corps members also exhibitted certain level of patriotism, commitment and creativity as they contributed their talents and expertise in making the camp more conducive and habitable.

    He continued, “We also saw corps members rising. When we arrived for this camp, we were discouraged as a result of windstorm that wreaked havoc on some of the camp facilities.

    “But we saw corps members coming to join us to rectify some of those facilities that were destroyed. That singular gesture gave us hope.

    “For me as the Coordinator and as a youth worker, it gladdens my heart when I see corps members willingly responding to our call. It gives me joy.”

    Asked how he was able to record such huge strides in less than three weeks, Aremu attributed it to trust and team spirit.

    He said, “One of the things I learnt early in life is to mobilize people and to build trust in them. Building trust is very fundamental in leadership.

    “One of the things we’ve done is to set agenda. We insisted everyone knows the role each person needs to play in a project.

    “Assign responsibilities looking at individual capabilities and training capacities. Trust and support them to bring out the best in them. I have a team and we try to build team spirit. For me, my main achievement since I resumed duty in Anambra is not the facilities I put up, but building a team.

    “I tell you, the team we have in Anambra can’t be beaten by any secretariat in the country. We can accomplish virtually anything we set our eyes and heart to do. For us, noting is impossible. We work as a team, no rancor, bickering and acrimony.

    “Besides, one other thing that has worked for me which I recommend to anyone in leadership position is to live kind of life you preach. Don’t say something and do something contrary.

    “The reason why young Nigerians don’t want to participate in politics or deviant to leadership is because of lack of trust. Leaders will say something and do another thing.

    “Until we get leaders that say what they mean and mean what they say, we’ll discover that it’s not difficult to rally young people. They hate people that lie to them.

    “For example, the moment they arrived camp, I took time to explain to them the inadequacies of the camp. There’s no adequate water, electricity, rain destroyed some of our roofs.

    “I didn’t tell them this is Hilton. I didn’t promise them heaven on earth. That was why they didn’t complain. Besides, those that have expertise, how to fix roof, wire electricity, offered their services. That helped us to achieve all we were able to achieve.

    Read Also: NYSC Co-ordinator eyes new camp

    “When we caught the cultists among them, I took time to explain to them about the ills of cultism, drug abuse and they were excited. Their parents are calling to thank me.

    “One of them came with his entire family all the way from Delta to express gratitude. The father confessed they had battled over their child for years without success. But God helped us.”

    On how they were able to identify the suspected cultists among other corps members, the Coordinator said the feat was achieved in collaboration with the security agencies.

    “In this place, we have the police, the DSS and other security personnel. We also have a surveillance movement. There’s a place for everyone to be at every point in time.

    “If you’re not there, like we say in NYSC, you’re wrong. So if any of is not where he/she is supposed to be at that time, that means something is fishy.

    “Our survilance team, DSS are always working underground. They go with the corps members to parade, eat together, discuss in the hostel together, etc. With that, they can easily provide information on where and how to get them,” he posited.

    Asked how measured being taken ensure the repentant corps members did not return to their old lives, Aremu revealed that they would be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (NDLEA) for proper follow-up.

    He said, ”It’s not all about me. We work with NDLEA. We’ve uploaded them to the NDLEA for follow up. The Agency used to have facility in Onitsha. Now they have one in Awka.

    “We already have a programme for them. They are now the vanguards to be preaching to younger people. In other words, we’ve upscaled them from being drug users to drug educators and influencers.

    “They will be working with NDLEA to visiting schools, including higher institutions in the state to educate young people. You know, when young people hear from their colleagues tell them their experiences, they appreciate it more.”

  • UDUS graduands seek yearly convocation

    The graduands of Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDUS), Sokoto have urged the management to hold convocation yearly.

    They gave the advice following the low turnout at the combined 35th, 36th, and 37th convocation held at the varsity’s convocation theatre.

    According to them, organising the event yearly would enable the graduands to attend the event massively.

    CAMPUSLIFE observed that some of the graduands couldn’t attend the convocation because they had been mobilised for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), while notifications of result of others were not yet ready. Further findings by CAMPUSLIFE showed that some of the students do not live in Sokoto, while others are working.

    One of the embarrassing moments at the event was the absence of the overall best graduating student, Ojo Suleiman Adebowale.

    “I wish that I made it to the event being among the valedictorians of the day, but I tried to talk with the camp co-ordinator, but he didn’t grant me the permission,” Adebowale told CAMPUSLIFE on phone.

    A 2016/17 graduate of Applied Chemistry, Sarat Alabidun, who also could not make the event, explained that she had already departed to the United States for her Masters.  She said: “I couldn’t attend the convocation because I am not in Nigeria. I’m in the United States for my Masters programme. I graduated about three years ago; so it’s been a while. Even if I were in Nigeria, I might not have come because Sokoto is far and I stay in Lagos.”

    Nonetheless, Biliamin Aishat, a 2016/17 graduate of Biological Science, who attended the event, recounted the horrendous 14-hour journey she endured from Ilorin to her destination.

    “It’s the management that is at fault not us,” Aishat protested.

    “I just finished my service. You can imagine me just returning after my pass out parade (POP), only to again embark on a journey for this convocation. Some people cannot bear the risk of coming to this place after they have departed to their various destinations. At least, they should be organising it (convocation) every year immediately after students graduate to make it easier for students to attend,” she said.

    Fatimah Abdulwaheed Akinola, a 2016/17 graduate of Mathematics, blamed the poor turnout on the foot-dragging posture of the management, adding that students who graduated a long time ago, would not show interest in the convocation.

    “I think the low turnout was due to the fact that it’s a joint convocation. People are already engaged in different things. Some of them have married and it will be impossible for them to come here,” she noted.

    “My advice is that they (management) should find a way to abolish joint convocations. We can be doing this every year. People cannot afford to miss their own convocation ceremony. I also travelled all the way from Osun State to meet up with this event but not everybody has such a privilege”

    Alanamu Oluwadamilola Rashidat also bemoaned the combined convocations.

    “The turnout is averagely okay but lower to what I was expecting because most of the people are faraway and they don’t have the chance to come down to this place.

    “The combination of the 35th, 36th and 37th convocation ceremonies are too hectic. It will be more preferable and encouraging if they can make it annually,” she advised.

    Habibu Bawa a 2017/18 graduate of Microbiology bemoaned the delay in the release of their results’ notification. For Bawa, his set was not part of the event because they are yet to collect their notification of result.

    “Why should I come when we are yet to collect notification in our department? Some have collected notification since first week of February but we are yet to collect ours. Are we part of the convoking graduands?” He asked furiously.

    Imam Fulani Abdullateef a graduate of Common and Islamic Law, noted that having contacted all his friends and discovered that most of them would not attend the event, he decided that he would simply sit at home.

    “The distance from Kwara to Sokoto is not easy,” lamented Abdullateef.

    Majority of my course mates didn’t attend; so, I will be lonely and that will make the programme boring to me,” he concluded.

  • NYSC chief to Corps members: Embrace host communities’ culture

    Corps members deployed to Anambra State for their national service have been urged to embrace the culture of their host communities.

    State Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC),  Kehinde Aremu gave the advice during the cultural carnival ceremony for the Batch ‘A’ corps members at the orientation camp, Umunya, Oyi local government area of the state.

    He expressed worry over the neglect of culture by members of communities, saying certain strange diseases prevalent in the society might not be unconnected to such neglects.

    He said, “Every corps member should be abreast with the culture of his or her host communities. All hand must be on deck to ensure we don’t lose our culture.

    “Our culture is what defines and unites us. Our geographical location also defines these cultural settings.

    “Our food is also part of our culture. That’s why we have strange diseases all over because of culture neglect. You can’t take it away from the disconnect from our culture.

    “Those who ignore their culture are invariably ignoring their existence and the provisions made by God for man to enjoy a flourishing life.”

    According to Aremu, the corps members first port of call soon after the orientation exercise were the palaces of traditional rulers and Presidents General of their host communities for proper integration.

    “The corps members are immediately integrated by the Igwes and PGs who are earnestly waiting for them.

    “Such integration goes a long way to assuring corps members of sense of belonging and security from pockets of criminality prevalent in the community especially during festivals,” he added.

    The event, which featured various cultural displays by corps members, attracted special dignitaries including the commissioner for Youth Empowerment and Creative Economy, Bonaventure Enemali and traditional rulers.