Olu Samuel, Lokoja
The Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has approved 100 per cent increment in the allowance of members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) deployed to Kogi State for their mandatory one-year service.
This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Lokoja and made available to Newsmen by the Chief press secretary to the Governor , Onogwu Mohammed.
The Governor was said to have made the approval considering the current economic realities and the overall importance of the NYSC scheme to national and state development.
He spoke during the closing ceremony of the 2023 Batch ‘B’ Stream 2 of the NYSC at the State’s Orientation Camp, Asanya, in Kabba Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, on Tuesday.
The Governor also announced a donation of N37.7 million as logistics support for the Youth Corps members as they move to their respective places of primary assignments and called on private sector employers to prioritise their welfare.
He charged the Corps members to be of good behaviour and encouraged them to embrace the spirit of ‘One Nigeria’ and treat all citizens as fellow Nigerians, transcending ethnic and religious boundaries.
He urged them to demonstrate diligence, hard work, commitment, and understanding throughout their service years, as these qualities would prepare them to overcome challenges after completing their service period.
Governor Bello commended the State Coordinator of the NYSC, Pastor (Mrs) Adebimpe Williams, for the camp’s overall infrastructure improvement and assured that other developmental requests would receive due attention.
The State’s Coordinator of the scheme, Pastor (Mrs) Adebimpe Williams, and the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Hon Idris Musa, commended Governor Yahaya Bello for his administration’s longstanding support for the program.
They also emphasised the importance of good behaviour at the corps members’ primary assignments, highlighting that absenteeism from a Place of Primary Assignment (PPA) remained a serious violation that the scheme strongly discouraged, with significant disciplinary consequences.
A total of 1888 corps members, comprising 977 males and 911 females, were deployed to Kogi State.