By Awhawha Awhawha
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) by rehabilitating and expanding the permanent orientation camp in the state.
Governor Zulum made the announcement while receiving the Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Yusha’u Ahmed, and his management team during a courtesy visit at the Government House in Maiduguri on Friday.
The NYSC Orientation camp which resumed in the state in 2023 after a 12-years suspension owing to insurgency activities is currently using the Umar Mustapha Elkanemi Arabic School as a temporary site, according to statement by Zulum’s Media aide, Abdurraman Bundi, on Saturday.
He assured that the state government would increase its support to the scheme and fast-track the construction of a permanent site to accommodate more corps members.
“The Deputy Chief of Staff and Chairman of NYSC governing board, let’s see how we commence the construction of the permanent site and expand accommodation.
“Currently, the scheme is operating within a school and soon the school management may need the space back. The earlier we start, the better,” Governor Zulum stated.
The governor commended the invaluable contributions of medical corps members in the state and emphasized the need for graduates in science-related fields, including physics, Mathematics and English to help strengthen Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in secondary schools.
He also expressed gratitude to the NYSC leadership for facilitating the return of the orientation camp to Borno State, noting that this move has significantly reduced the hardship faced by corps members who previously had to travel to other states for their orientation.
The Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Yusha’u Ahmed, said that his visit aimed to assess the welfare and orientation camp facilities for corps members in Borno and other North-East states. He lauded Borno State Government for its unwavering support of the scheme.
“I must say that corps members are in good hands. The support they are receiving in Borno has been tremendous. This visit is an opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to His Excellency for his immense contributions, including the special allowances for medical and other corps members, regular feeding augmentation, and the provision of Hilux vehicles to the state coordination office,” Brigadier General Ahmed stated.
He further urged corps members to remain in Borno and contribute to the development of the state, in appreciation of the government’s continuous support.
The NYSC State Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Jiya, informed the governor that a total of 991 corps members from 2024 Batch C Stream 2 are currently undergoing orientation in the state. End