Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said his administration renovated the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) in the state as part of his efforts to project Kwara in a positive light to the outside world.

“This intervention is the right thing to do. Each Corps member that comes to Kwara becomes an ambassador for the state when they leave. Then, we want them to leave with right impression from the state.

“That is why we need to make sure the right facilities are in place for them,” AbdulRazaq said during a visit to the renovated facility Monday evening.

He was accompanied on the visit by the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly Yakubu Danladi and two Commissioner-designates Rotimi Iliasu and Joanna Kolo.

AbdulRazaq recalled likening the facility to a penitentiary that was not fit for human living, saying his action was to fulfil his promise to make the place habitable for the NYSC members undergoing the mandatory scheme.

“When I visited here in June, I felt it was not habitable. I felt I couldn’t stay under such environment and I don’t want the corps members to leave in such condition either. They were managing with no proper running water and the toilets were unusable. Going into the bush put them at the risk of snake bites. So, we needed to come in and do the right thing,” he said.

The governor urged the management of the NYSC to manage the facilities properly and to always inform the government when there are issues before they degenerate.

The state Coordinator of NYSC, Esther Ikupolati, said the prompt intervention of the governor has brought relief to the camp as “hostels now can be called five-star hostels when compared to their previous state.

“The hostel facilities renovated were indeed in bad shape before now. And when His Excellency came to this camp barely a month in office, he expressed displeasure over the state of the hostels. He said the place was not habitable for humans.”

She appreciated AbdulRazaq for coming to the aid of the NYSC with additional 400 mattresses, 200 double bunk beds, 100 benches for the hall and drugs for the clinic.

“Kwara NYSC camp is one of the few states enjoying the largesse of the state government in terms of meal subsidies, fumigation of the camp and support,” Ikupolati said.

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