Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulzarak has extolled the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, on its 50 years of fostering national unity and development.
Speaking on behalf of the governor during the unity walk to commemorate the scheme’s golden anniversary schedule for May 22, the Kwara state deputy governor, Mr Kayode Alabi, earlier in the day praised the scheme for consistently upholding the unity of the nation over the past 50 years.
The governor praised corps members for several community development service projects across the state.
The governor further encouraged them not to relent in their unwavering service to the nation.
His words: “Be focused in your service to our fatherland, Nigeria. Youths, being the major constituency of the society, must inculcate the core values of integrity, hard work and continue to develop themselves to become better citizens of the country.”
He, however, enjoined corps members to use the NYSC platform to discover themselves and invest in personal development.
Meanwhile, addressing corps members and people at the NYSC secretariat before the rally, Kwara State Commissioner for Youth and chairman of the state NYSC Governing Board, Olabode George Towoju, applauded the corps members for their tenacity in serving their country even in the midst of difficulty.
He further tasked the corps members to further uphold the tenets of patriotism and to continue to be law abiding citizens.
In the same vein, the state coordinator of the NYSC Kwara, Mr Jimba Olawale Chris, said that the scheme had come of age.
According to him, the scheme had impacted the society in various ways, such as education, primary health care and many more via the instrumentality of various corps members community development services.
The coordinator further said that the scheme would continue to be a veritable platform for the remodelling of the Nigerian youth for national development.
By being a leveler, he said, the scheme had marched to create balance across the multi-ethnic Nigerian nation.
The state coordinator added that “the scheme has over the years grown to become one of the reverred federal government-established schemes that has done the country proud in all respects. Standing strong as a monolith amongst all platforms of unity and has actively grown into an active agent of unification and national transformation.”
It is worthy of note that NYSC was created by Decree No 24 of May 22, 1973, promulgated by the regime of the then head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, “to keep Nigeria one”.
The scheme was primarily conceptualised to strengthen the national cohesion and integration, so that the already wounded nation could be more bonded in all spheres.
