The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NYSC

  • Police arrest two over NYSC member’s death in Enugu

    The Enugu State Police Command has arrested two suspects in connection with the alleged drowning of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member at a hotel swimming pool.

    In a statement yesterday in Enugu, police spokesman Ebere Amaraizu said the corps member was allegedly drowned on Saturday at Ugwuoba community in Oji River Local Government Area.

    It was gathered that a group of NYSC members reportedly went to a hotel at Ugwuoba in Enugu State, Hotel De Oranzi Resort at Agungwu Ugwuoba for swimming.

    The statement said: “In the ensuing swimming rendezvous among the celebrating corps members, one of them, whose name is yet to be established, allegedly got drowned.

    “She was later rescued and rushed to the General Hospital at Amaku in Awka, Anambra State – since Oji River Local Government Area shares boundary with Awka – for medical attention but was confirmed dead at the hospital.”

    Amaraizu said the body of the deceased corps member had been deposited at the morgue.

    The statement said the police had intensified efforts to establish the identity of the deceased.

    “The two persons held in connection with the incident are helping the police operatives in their investigation,” he said.

  • Meningitis: NYSC to engage corps members in vaccination

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Kano state says it is ready to engage corps members across the state in vaccination against the Cerebrospinal Meningitis disease in the area.

    Alhaji Ladan Baba, the NYSC State Coordinator, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Kano.

    He said, “Our medical and health team is fully ready to embark on the exercise as soon it is provided with the vaccine by the Kano State Government”.

    According to Baba, the plan to engage the corps members is necessary to avoid the outbreak of the disease in the state as reported in some northern states.

    “We have begun to see the signs in Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger states and even in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.”

    The coordinator also scheme had engaged the medical and health team of the corps members in sensitisation to avoid the spread of meningitis.

    According to Baba, the sensitisation is to inform the general public on the measures to be taken to avoid the outbreak of the disease in the state.

    He urged the people to refrain from living in congested rooms but in well ventilated rooms.

  • Bayelsa Commissioner advises corps members on hard work

    Mr Blessing Izagara , the Commissioner for Science and Technology in Bayelsa, has advised outgoing corps members to be committed to hard work as they enter the labour market.

    Izagara gave the advice on Wednesday in Yenagoa while addressing NYSC members who served in the state Ministry of Science and Technology and Manpower Development.

    He advised them to imbibe the culture of endurance and respect for elders as virtues that would propel them in the competitive labour market.

    The commissioner commended them for their loyalty, punctuality and hard work in the course of their service in the ministry, adding that they should always trust God to succeed in life.

    Chief Buomonyo Amakiri, the Permanent Secretary, speaking on behalf of the directors, commended the commissioner for approving the corps members’ transport support and wished them well in their future endeavour.

    Mr Clever Lawrence, the Special Adviser to Governor on ICT, also advised them to always place positive values above certificates and as youths, they should learn new things daily.

    Responding on behalf of the corps members, Miss Rose Essien, expressed gratitude to the commissioner and the entire staff of the ministry for the love, care and support extended to them during the service year.

    Essien said that the experience they got while serving would be of great help to them in the future.

     

  • NYSC, NSCDC lament drowning of corps members

    NYSC, NSCDC lament drowning of corps members

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Bayelsa State have lamented the death of corps members in boat mishaps at the weekend.
    The two agencies raised the concern when the new state Commandant, NYSC, Mrs. Loto Bolade, paid a courtesy visit to the state Commandant of the NSCDC, Desmond Agu, in Yenagoa, the state capital.
    Corps members serving in some riverine communities in the state have been dying following boat mishaps.
    But Agu urged NYSC authorities to impress it upon youths participating in the scheme, especially those posted to the coastal areas to always make use of life jackets when travelling.
    He said: “Bayelsa State has a different terrain. It is 70 per cent water.
    “So, always tell the corps members to carry their life jackets and wear them whenever they are travelling. Even if they can swim, they should not be over-confident.
    “NYSC should also ensure that they are constantly in touch with youths posted to remote areas.
    “Always keep in touch with the youths and ensure that their employers are treating them well.”
    Agu said his command will always contribute to the success of NYSC programmes in the state by providing the needed security.
    He advised all federal agencies should work together in the discharge of their duties.
    Bolade said NYSC was working hard to ensure that members of the corps posted to rural areas in the state were given life jackets.
    “We will continue to talk to the corps members posted to the riverine areas to always wear their life jackets. We will keep talking to them,” she said.
    Bolade, who was redeployed from Niger State, thanked the NSCDC for its cooperation especially in the areas of security.
    She appealed for more support and demanded security presence at the Kaiama camp for the forthcoming orientation programme.

  • NYSC online registration has detected fake corps members – DG

    NYSC online registration has detected fake corps members – DG

    The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC scheme said Monday it has detected several fake corps members following the introduction of the online registration platform some years back.

    The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Suleiman Kazaure who said while speaking with newsmen after declaring open the 2017 Public Relations officers’ workshop of the scheme held in Abuja refused to give the number of fake corps members detected so far.

    He however said a lot of them have been exposed.

    “With the online registration, we have been able to check the ghost corps members and a lot of things, and it will facilitate the work and will make it easier for the staff.

    “I don’t have the figure of ghost corps members but we have a lot of them,” she said.

    On the training, he recalled that the recent challenges resulting from misconception of the scheme’s operation underscored the need to conduct the training.

    He said: “the workshop is a continuation of management’s commitment at ensuring that officers saddled with the responsibility of managing the image of the scheme are equipped with the right knowledge and skills for better performance, and to keep them abreast of developments in the business of information, crisis and client relations management.

    “You may wish to recall our recent challenges resulting from the misconception of our operations by a section of the public. Such challenges underscore the need to resuscitate trainings of this nature.”

    The Director of press and public relations of the scheme, Abosede Aderibigbe while welcoming the various States public relations officers to the workshop said it is aimed at achieving at the four points agenda of the DG.

    She said at the end of the workshop, the various participants would have been better equipped to handle their job with rare dexterity to the upliftment of the image of the scheme.

     

  • Wike promises befitting state secretariat for NYSC in Rivers

    Wike promises befitting state secretariat for NYSC in Rivers

    Rivers Governor, Mr Nyesom Wike, has promised the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) a befitting secretariat in the state.

    The Governor made the pledge on Tuesday when the new state Coordinator of NYSC, Mr Omotayo Adewoye, paid him a courtesy visit at Government House in Port Harcourt.

    Wike said that the state government would provide the secretariat and name it after a slain corps member, Samuel Okonta, who lost his life during the 2015 general elections in the state.

    He promised to fix dilapidated infrastructure at the permanent orientation camp at Nonwa-Gbam in Khana Local Government Area to alleviate the sufferings of corps members.

    The Governor also promised to provide a bus for the corps members to ensure their mobility in the state.

    Wike gave assurance that he would retain a corps member who had demonstrated an exceptional zeal in agricultural activities.

    He said that he would pay allowances to corps members serving in the state and promised to increase allowances of those serving in the rural areas.

    The Governor stated that corps members’ lodges would be fenced to ward off criminals, to ensure adequate security for corps members in the rural areas.

    Wike condemned attacks by hoodlums on innocent corps members who were serving their fatherland.

    He said that in a bid to provide adequate security for corps members and the people, the state government would identify the local government areas that had security issues and address them.

    Wike promised that the state government would host the NYSC team that made an outstanding sporting performance in recent sporting activities.

    In his remarks, the new Rivers NYSC Coordinator, Mr Omotayo Adewoye, commended the governor for his developmental strides in the state.

    The NYSC boss commended the Governor for the amnesty programme, adding that the programme had brought peace to the state.

  • NYSC redeploys assaulted corps member from Zamfara

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has redeployed a corps member, Mr. Michael Uwakwe, from Zamfara to Anambra, following his assault by a police officer.

    The NYSC Director, Corps Welfare and Inspectorate, Mrs. Victoria Okakwu, stated this in Abuja, Wednesday.

    Okakwu said the corps member was redeployed to ensure his safety  during the national assignment.

    The briefing was designed to keep the public abreast on the outcome of investigations conducted by the NYSC on the matter.

    Uwakwe was reportedly assaulted by the policeman for punishing a student who is a rich man’s ward.

    Okakwu said after proper investigations and resolution of the matter, NYSC has also ordered the immediate withdrawal of 11 other corps members who were posted alongside Uwakwe to Nasara Standard Academy, Gusau.

    She said the 11 corps members have been re-posted to serve in other establishments in Gusau as a proactive measure to ensure their safety and security.

    NAN

  • Oyo NYSC plans training on corps monitoring

    Oyo NYSC plans training on corps monitoring

    The NYSC in Oyo State says it has concluded arrangements to hold a training workshop on corps monitoring for zonal and local government inspectors of the scheme in the South-West Zone.

    Mr. Simeon Bankole, the NYSC Public Relations Officer in the state, made this known in a statement on Monday in Ibadan.

    He said that the training was to reposition the scheme for optimal performance.

    Bankole said the initiative with the theme; “Enshrining Transparency in Corps Monitoring and Participation in Community Development Services Using ICT” was also aimed at enhancing corps inspection and monitoring.

    He added that the training would enable field officers in the state to deploy Information and Communication Technology with a view to achieving error-free attendance and clearance system.

    Bankole urged stakeholders to ensure they attended the training, saying the occasion would be chaired by the NYSC Director General, Brig.-Gen. Sule Kazaure.

     

  • A/Ibom Corps members abandon duty post for threat to life

    A/Ibom Corps members abandon duty post for threat to life

    About 15 members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) recently posted from the Ikot Itie Udung, Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State camp, on Thursday abandoned their primary place of assignment following attacks by hoodlums.

    The affected Corps members, The Nation gathered were posted to serve at the Community Secondary School, Uruk Atta 11, in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area.

    One of the teachers, who craved anonymity, said: “The NYSC members were posted to this school on our request, and when they arrived we shared them to some private residence compounds at Obot Uboko and another compound along Uruk Atta 11-Okoyo village.”

    He disclosed that the suspected cultists had attacked the compound and disposed them of personal belongings including laptops, phones and petty cash.

    More worrisome to them, according to one Effiong Ekeke, a local resident was that: “the cultists also raped some of the female members, an action he said, forced them to flee the community.

    “Consequently, they (the Corps members) abandoned the school and left the community in protest over the lack of security.”

    Confirming the incident, Donald Iwok, a former Councillor, who represented the area at the return of democracy in 1999, attributed the incident to what he described as: “the collapse of security in some communities in the area.

    “In recent times, there had been incidences of cult clashes leading to the death of over 15 people in this axis along, especially in communities like Ikot Udobong, Okoyo, Uruk Atta 11, Ikpe and Otoro”, he recalled, adding “between Monday and Wednesday this week, two persons were also killed in Ikot Mkporikpo and Obon Ebot villages.”

    Calling on the Police to beef up security in the area, Iwok, an alumnus of the affected school, expressed worry that incidences of cultism, robbery and kidnapping for ransom, have become the order of the day in the area.

    The Chairman of Etim Ekpo Local Government, Udeme Eduo, who lamented that the scourge of cultism has created serious tension in the Council sued for calm, assuring that he was working with security agencies to restore peace.

    He charged traditional rulers to secure their domains to ensure their subjects lived according to the rules and regulations of the communities, warning that he would not hesitate to wield the big stick against erring youths in the habits of running foul of the laws.

    The Commissioner of Police (CP) Mr. Donald Awunah, said a number of suspected cultists have been arrested following the launch of ‘Operation Impact’ in the area.

    He assured that peace would soon return in the area as his men intensified efforts to dislodge criminal elements within Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District.

  • NYSC pulls out of Rivers’ Saturday rerun

    NYSC pulls out of Rivers’ Saturday rerun

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday announced that the rerun elections into the House of Representatives and House of Assembly seats for Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State will hold on Saturday.
    But, State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Omotayo Adewoye said the youths would not be available for the exercise.
    Adewoye said: “I am just one month old in this state. When I received the letter calling for 300 interested youth corps members to come up for training to participate in the conduct of the elections in Etche, being quiet aware of the Memorandum of Understanding between INEC and NYSC, and knowing that I was not a signatory to the agreement, I had the course to approach my national headquarters in Abuja.
    “While I did that, I contacted the field officer in Etche where the election is going to hold to get members ready for the training which started on Monday to equip them fir the exercise.
    “However, I am standing here today(yesterday), to inform you that NYSC will not take part in the exercise because of the obvious reason of violence in the last elections in the state in which we lost one of our youths.
    “I have duly contacted my headquarters and I have been asked to stay action in the matter.”
    The State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Elder Aniedi Ikiowak, announced this in a stakeholders meeting organised by the police for security chiefs, politicians and candidates in the elections in Port Harcourt, the state capital yesterday.
    Ikiowak said the poll would hold in over 200 voting units across eight registration areas. Election for the House of Representatives will hold in 147 units.The election in the House of Assembly will hold in 74 units in Etche constituency two.
    INEC said the exercise would be held in areas where access to the polling units were blocked by suspected thugs during the December 11 rerun.
    He noted that card readers would not be used in the exercise.
    “The election is very important to INEC, the state and indigenes of the local government for them to have credible representation in the House of Representatives and the State Assembly.
    “The election is going to be held for three major reasons,- areas where INEC staff and materials were not able to access at the last exercise due to blockade mounted by political thugs, hence election was not held there.
    “Again, where election materials got to but for certain obvious reasons of violence and disruption, results were not collated and results not declared at the appropriate venue and finally where elections were held but were rejected and cancelled by the Electoral Officer at the ward level because of certain malpractices,” he said.
    Sensitive materials are expected from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) today.
    The REC appealed to politicians and their supporters to stay clear of the collation centres .
    The Acting Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner (Operations), Ahmed Magaji, said adequate security would be provided for free, fair and credible polls.
    Magaji pledged the neutrality of the Police.
    Politicians from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) traded blames on the cause of election violence.
    APC candidate for the House of Representatives Ogbonnaya Wuke and his colleague for the House of Assembly, Golden Chioma, accused the PDP of holding meetings with political thugs to disrupt the process.
    The PDP House of Representatives candidate, Chief Jerome Eke, appealed to the police to allow a level-playing field at the polls.