Exhibit high level of patriotism and resourcefulness during and after your national service, the First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, has charged members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, posted to the state
Erelu Fayemi who gave the charge during her visit to the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Ise-Ekiti where the Batch `B’ stream 1 are currently undergoing the orientation process, also enjoined them to be good ambassadors of their respective institutions and states of origin in the communities where they will eventually be posted for their primary assignments.
The governor’s wife, who on her arrival at the camp, inspected the quarter guard with the camp commandant, Captain Must Kudi, urged the corps members to uphold the tenets of NYSC.
“Please I will like you to remember the values of the National Youth Service Corps – To promote peace, to promote unity, to promote solidarity. Please don’t be found amongst those inciting violence, amongst those inciting ethnic bigotry, for in the National Youth Service Corps, there is not supposed to be any Yoruba, Igbo, Efik; you are all Nigerian youth corps members. So, as you go around your various assignments, please remember that we expect you to uphold the values of the NYSC scheme,” she said.
She also urged them to look after themselves. “You are far away from home, please look after yourselves. Don’t go on journeys that are absolutely unnecessary. Things have changed in our country; when I was your age Nigeria was not as dangerous as it is now. Please stay in your place of posting, if you need to go away for any reason do let the authorities know,” she enjoined them.
Erelu Fayemi who decried the rate of teenage pregnancy in the country, with Ekiti State rating high, appealed to the corps members to please use their wealth of experience to educate and mentor school children, especially girls on the dangers inherent in teenage pregnancy.
She also cautioned the corps members against indulging in any form of sexual activities with minors in their host communities saying anyone caught would be sanctioned through existing laws.
“In Ekiti State we have the Gender Based Violence Prohibition Law, the Gender and Equals Opportunities Law, the anti-female genital mutilation law, the widowhood practices law, and we also domesticated the Child Rights Act. What these all means is that Ekiti State is a state that has zero tolerance for all forms of violence against women and children,” she said.
The First Lady thanked the corps members, the NYSC State Coordinator, Mrs Emmanuella Okpongette, and her staff, the camp cultural troupe and the band, for their warm reception.
Okpongette, in her opening remark, thanked the First Lady for honouring their invitation at a short notice, adding that the corps members are disciplined and ready to be change agents in their host communities.
The NYSC state coordinator said efforts must be put in place to create awareness on reproductive health care to reduce HIV/AIDS in the state and the rise in teenage pregnancy in the state.
The corps members presented the guest with a cake to commemorate her birthday which was marked recently.
