The Director General, National Youth Service Corps Brig. Gen. Dogara Ahmed, has said that poor quality graduates, corps members relocation racketeering, inadequate facilities, wrong submission of graduates’ data, among others are affecting the scheme.

The NYSC DG said this while delivering a lecture titled: ‘Harnessing the Potential of the Nigerian Youths for National Unity and Development’ at the 5^th convocation lecture of the Edo State University, Uzairue, on Friday.

Represented by the NYSC Director, South South Zone, Ladan Baba, the DG said the service mobilized an average of 350,000 corps members annually for the promotion of national unity and development.

According to him, despite the scheme’s numerous achievement, it is still faced with some challenges such as ” inadequacy of orientation camp facilities; poor infrastructure, submission of wrong data of graduates, poor quality graduates being presented for mobilization and deployment as well as corps members relocation racketeering among others.”

He however called on the state governments to live up to their statutory responsibilities to the scheme in the provision, maintenance and upgrading of camp facilities in their domains.

He said the NYSC had contributed to the development of education with corps members serving as teachers in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, noting that they constituted the major manpower especially in the rural communities.

He added that the corp members were also involved in the areas of health sector, agriculture, NYSC ventures, general elections, national census, skill acquisition and entrepreneurship developments.

The DG said the scheme was established as a deliberate public policy to ensure the realization of the government post-war strategy of Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation (RRR).

He added that the objectives of the scheme were to inculcate in Nigeria youths discipline, tradition of industry at work, patriotic and loyal service to Nigeria in any situation they might find themselves. (Daily Trust)

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