From Priscilla Ofunre, Ado-Ekiti
New corps members deployed to Ekiti State have been advised to utilize the abundant agricultural resources available in the state to become self-reliant and job creators rather than job seekers.
Governor Kayode Fayemi said his administration placed premium on youth development and would continue to accord needed support to programmes that would curb the menace of unemployment in the state.
Fayemi spoke while officially declaring open the 2019 Batch C, Stream 1, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Course at the permanent orientation camp in Ise/Orun/Emure on Thursday.
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Represented by the Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, Fayemi expressed the readiness of his administration to partner interested corps members in agricultural and rural development programmes in the State.
According to a statement signed by the Special Assistant (Media) to the Deputy Governor, Odunayo Ogunmola, a total number 1,851 corps members took the oath of allegiance at the opening ceremony of their orientation course at the camp.
Fayemi encouraged the corps members to take advantage of the agrarian nature of the state by venturing into livestock and food crops farming to fight the scourge of unemployment.
Describing the NYSC scheme as a veritable tool for mobilizing youths towards national development and reorientation, Fayemi, charged the corps members to prioritise commitment, patriotism and unity of the country above personal interest.
He said: “The unity of this great country is sacrosanct, you must uphold the integration of Nigeria at all cost.
“This was the mission and vision of the founding fathers of this scheme in 1973 under the leadership of the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon.”
The Governor solicited for their steadfastness in rendering outstanding services that would meet the specific needs of their host communities which was in tandem with the objectives and doctrines of NYSC scheme.
Fayemi acknowledged the contribution of NYSC in national assignments and in the development of rural areas through community development projects and health initiatives, for rural dwellers across the nation.
While assuring the corps members of his resolute to create an enabling environment for them to function maximally, the Governor urged them to support his administration in its efforts at restoring the core values of diligence, honesty, hard work, perseverance, selflessness and humility.
Ekiti State Chief Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, who was represented by Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi, had earlier administered the oath of allegiance on the new corps members present at the parade ground.
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The state NYSC Coordinator, Mrs. Emmanuella Okpongete, charged the new corps members to utilize the various skill acquisition and entrepreneurship trainings they would undergo during the orientation course.
Okpongete charged the corps members to be good ambassadors of their families and alma maters by shunning vices that could bring them to disrepute.
The opening ceremony was spiced with the presentation of cultural dance, songs rendered in Ekiti dialect and “Tug of War” by the new corps members.
