The Edo State Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs Ben-Ushie Francis, has said that high electricity tariffs and running costs of generator are impacting on the orientation camp operation.

The state coordinator disclosed this on Friday during the swearing-in of 1187 Batch ‘C Stream I corps members posted to the state for the mandatory one year service to the nation.

She said these “costs have significantly increased the operational costs of running the orientation camp”.

Francis however solicited the support of the state government to help reduce the high operational costs of running the camp.

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“A total of 1,187 prospective corps members comprising 505 male and 682 female corps members had been duly registered and are ready to be sworn in as members of the NYSC,” she said.

According to her, the scheme has consistently provided skilled manpower for critical sectors of the state’s economy, enhanced labour mobility, and promoted
national unity through the deployment of corps members across all communities in the state.

She said the quarterly Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD) programme of the scheme, whereby the corps’ medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses among others are deployed to remote villages for medical outreach, had brought succour to rural dwellers.

While commending the state Governor, Sen. Monday Okpebholo for the supply of 1000 plastic chairs and 700 mattresses to the camp, she listed inadequate hostel accommodation, lack of feeding augmentation, inadequate workshops, laboratories for skill training, inadequate operational vehicles for monitoring and inspection of corps, among others as challenges confronting the camp.

Governor Okpebholo assured the corp members that their welfare, safety and security were paramount to his administration.

The governor represented by his deputy, Denis Idahosa, charged the corp members to embrace the scheme’s Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurial Development (SAED) initiative to acquire skills and become self reliant and employers of labour.

He encouraged the corps members to leverage the state’s opportunities in agriculture, education, technology, entrepreneurship and tourism  which are central to his administration development agenda, for their personal and professional aspirations.

“We believe that you, as young Nigerians, represent the ingenuity and resilience that our nation needs to achieve sustainable
progress. Your enthusiasm creativity, and eagerness to learn are qualities that can leave an indelible mark on Edo State,” Okpebholo said.