By Abdulwaheed Olayinka Adubi, Kaduna
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), on Tuesday in Kaduna admonished employers on the need to improve the productivity of corps members posted to them.
The Coordinator of NYSC in Kaduna, Mr. Odoba Abel, made the call in his address at the 2022 corps employers’ workshop with the theme “Achieving improved productivity of corps members through enhanced welfare and security during the service year”.
Odoba, while advocating for better security and welfare of corps members by employers, also observed some lapses on the part of employers to include delay in requesting or not request at all for the services of corps members, while expecting them to be posted.
He also frowned at increased rejection of corps members and the connivance of employers stage-manage their rejection. Other issues mentioned included the underutilization of corps members and the delay in issuance of monthly clearance to those deserving.
Odoba also frowed at employers aiding abscondment of corps members; ill treatment in workplaces, lack of support for Corps members’ Community Development Service projects, lack of accommodation among others. He explained that the corps employers’ workshop served as avenue for exchange of ideas on the improvement of NYSC operations, especially through the provision of enabling environment for Corps members to render qualitative and efficient services.
The State Coordinator also noted that in fulfillment of NYSC objectives, the scheme promotes national unity and accelerated socio-economic development of the nation and instilling in youths a tradition of industry at work and of patriotic and loyal service to Nigeria.
“The achievement of these and other objectives can only be sustained through the collective efforts of all stakeholders, including the managers of the Corps members, particularly the Corps employers. Since the inception of the Scheme, the NYSC Management/Corps Employers’ Forum has enabled both parties who are critical managers of Corps members to continually enhance the capacity for effective engagement of Corps members.
“We are thus able to position the young men and women on National Service as change agents and key contributors to the development of the country,” he said.
He said the corps employers work shop which is held annually, would be made quarterly in Kaduna, to ensure more exchange of ideas for improvement of Corp employers and the scheme’s operations. He called on the corps employers’ to ensure keeping up to their roles in the effective implementation of the cardinal programmes and other activities of NYSC.
A corps employer, Mrs Izuegbu lawrencia, of Command Secondary School, Kaduna, said their school accommodates and treats corps members in all humane ways possible to ensure they have wonderful stay. She said on the day of passing out from camps, they move with vehicle to transport corps members posted to their school and take them to their lodges.
“We also provide them with food and all their necessities within our capacity, and even retain some of them as casual staff after their service year,”she said.
Lawrencia urged the NYSC to post corps members where they would be accepted, cared for, and ensure they monitor their performance.
Also, a corps employer, Dr. Jimoh Ihiovi from faculty of administration, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, who presented a paper titled ‘Securing of corps members, a critical factor of corps productivity, lamented that NYSC has allowed redeployment of corps members became rampant in the scheme.
He said redeploying or posting corps members to places of their wish rather than places away from their current environment without valid reasons was counter development as one of the scheme’s objective was aimed at national unity and integration. Ihiovi called on other corps employers to prioritise security and welfare of corps members to maximum their organisation productivity.
