The National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) has sworn in 1,503 corps members of the 2024 Batch ‘A’ Stream one set, deployed to Enugu State for the one-year mandatory national service.
The state Coordinator, NYSC, Mrs Christiana Salmwang, disclosed this on Tuesday during the swearing-in ceremony at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Awgu Local Government Area, Enugu.
Salmwang said that the corps members comprised 764 males and 739 females.
She said that the corps members would undergo vocational and entrepreneurship training through the skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) which was recently revamped to align with the prevailing socio- economic realities.
The coordinator thanked Gov. Peter Mbah for his keen interest in the overall revamping of facilities in the orientation camp, adding that the governor had commenced massive renovation of the camp.
“The drilling of a second borehole which will greatly cushion the effect of water scarcity is ongoing. We have been assured that before long the orientation camp will be transformed into a modern camp,” she said.
She appealed to the state governor for the construction of a parade ground within the camp, construction of access road to the camp as vehicles find it difficult to ascend the camp especially during the rainy season due to its deplorable state.
Salmwang also appealed for the installation of solar panels within the camp so as to help in illuminating the camp at night as the issue if light has been a perennial problem in Awgu.
According to her, the NYSC, Enugu needs operational vehicles in order to help the scheme to carry out effective inspection and monitoring of the corps members as many of them are posted to rural communities in the state.
Meanwhile, governor Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidebere Onyia said that his administration had already connected the camp to the national grid which was energized but due to vandalism of the facilities by some miscreants, the light to the camp went off.
He promised that his administration would as a matter of urgency meet with the authority in charge of power to fix and bring back light to the camp.
According to him, the access road leading to the camp ground has been completed, the new overhead tanks, renovation of 13 hostel buildings and renovation of 79 toilets facilities for the corps members in the orientation camp.
He urged the corps members to key into Enugu State Government’s transformative agenda of continuity, collaboration, transparency, accessibility and accountability.
He advised them to build bridges across their cultural and religious backgrounds and live peacefully with their fellow compatriots while working with one purpose to uplift the present dwindling economy.
Administering the oath of allegiance, the Enugu State Chief Judge, Justice Raymond Ozoemena urged the corps members to be obedient to rules, regulations, laws and the country.
Ozoemena, who was represented by Justice A. O. Onovo, said that the oath taken by the corps members was biding, that any activity against it would be liable to criminal offence under Nigerian law.