•Report by Kamil Opeyemi
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Yushau Ahmed, has cautioned corps members who would be ad hoc personnel for the general elections to remain neutral and adhere to the electoral acts guidelines.
His address was read by Mrs Rifkatu Yakubu, the Plateau Coordinator of the NYSC on Tuesday at the formal closing and passing out ceremony of the 2023 batch “A” stream I corps members.
He advised the corps members to perform the election duties with high sense of responsibility.
Ahmed called on the corps members to take a cue from the performance of their predecessors who earned the NYSC accolades from both local and foreign observers for their conducts that contributed to the credibility of previous elections.
He called on NYSC members to integrate and respect the culture and traditions of their host communities.
Ahmed also assured the corps members of their safety during the exercise.
He said the scheme had the secured commitment of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies as regarding their welfare and safety before, during and after the elections.
He called on them to serve as ambassadors of the scheme by offering selfless service and be instruments of unity in their host communities.
He further urged the members to participate in the post-camp Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme to master a skill.
This, he said would equip them for self-development and service and in turn improve their socioeconomic status after their service year.
He warned the corps members to shun unnecessary and unauthorised journeys not to incur the wrath and penalty of the management.
He cautioned corps members to disembark from any journey once its 6 p.m., desist from engaging in local politics and accept their postings to the various local governments in good faith.
He thanked the state governments for supporting and creating an environment conducive for the NYSC activities in their states.
Similarly, the state coordinator, Yakubu commended the corps members for their resilience and hardwork during the orientation exercise.
She tasked them to be good ambassador of the scheme in their respective host communities.