Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi on Tuesday approved 100 per cent increment of the allowance of Youth Corps Members serving in the state.
The governor also announced a donation of N37.7 million to support the corps members’ logistics as they passed out after serving the one year mandatory service in the state.
A statement in Lokoja by the governor’s media aide, Mr Onogwu Mohammed, said that Bello made the pronouncements 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.
The governor explained that the increment became imperative in view of current economic realities and the overall importance of the NYSC scheme to national and state development.
Bello also announced a donation of N37.7 million as logistics support for the Youth Corps members as they moved 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 residents as fellow Nigerians, transcending ethnic and religious boundaries.
He urged them to demonstrate diligence, hard work, commitment, and understanding throughout their service year, as these qualities would prepare them to overcome challenges after completing their service period.
The governor, however, 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.
Williams and the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Idris Musa, commended Bello for his administration’s longstanding support for the programme.
The duo also emphasised the importance of good behaviour at the corps members’ primary assignments.
They warned against absenteeism from a Place of Primary Assignment (PPA), which remained a serious violation that the scheme strongly discouraged, with significant disciplinary consequences.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a total of 1888 corps members, comprising 977 males and 911 females, are deployed to Kogi for the one year mandatory service. (NAN)