Posted by Ufuoma Dick-Iruenabere, the NYSC state coordinator for Abia, has made an urgent plea to the government of Abia and other well-meaning citizens to help repair the infrastructure and buildings at the state permanent orientation camp in Umunnato, Bende LGA.
On Friday, during the swearing-in ceremony for the 999 members of Batch 11 Stream 2 of the National Youth Service Corps in the state, the coordinator made the request at the camp.
She expressed her sadness that gully erosion had caused significant damage to the parade ground, male hostel, and staff quarters at the orientation camp, which had been built in 2006 and turned over to NYSC in 2007.
According to Dick-Iruenabere, this has caused the camp to lose important space, caused cracks in some of the buildings, and poses a serious threat to the health and safety of corps members during orientation.
She demanded prompt action be taken to stop erosion in the camp and protect the camp’s infrastructure from further deterioration.
In addition, the state NYSC secretariat needs major repairs and upgrades to provide a pleasant and productive workplace for its employees. The existing secretariat is not equipped to handle the workload of delivering NYSC activities and services in the state, since it lacks sufficient office space, utilities, and infrastructure.
The house of the state coordinator needs maintenance.
Therefore, we beseech the State Government, led by the youth-friendly Governor of Abia State, Alex Chioma Otti, to save the day and, if necessary, consider moving the camp to a better location.
The NYSC Abia State Coordinator pleaded fervently for the new administration to prioritize the requirements of the service members. “While we appreciate the fact that your administration is new and is grappling with a lot of infrastructural deficits in the face of hard economic realities, we do hope that our needs will be accommodated for prompt attention,” he said.
Newly sworn-in corps members were addressed by Governor Alex Otti, who encouraged them to spend their time in Abia and at orientation camp to better themselves for the future and take advantage of local resources.
Temple Nwosu, a senior staff member at the state’s ministry of youths and sports, read Otti’s remarks, in which he informed the audience that the NYSC in Abia will receive better support under Otti’s administration.
Since its inception many years ago, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has been widely praised for the contributions its members have made to the growth of their host towns and the strengthening of the country as a whole.