Esther Okoi|20 January 2020
The Commissioner for Youth Development and Skills Acquisition, Signor Omang Idiege has reiterated the assurances of His Excellency, Senator (Prof.) Ben Ayade to create an enabling environment for Youth Corps Members serving in the State to have a memorable service and make Cross River State their ‘home away from home.’
Speaking during a courtesy call payed on him by management staff of the National Youth Service Corps, Cross River State Chapter, the Commissioner noted that the NYSC is an integral part of the Ministry as it is an embodiments of youths and would be carried along in fulfilling the mandate of the ministry. He informed that the Governor is passionate about youth development hence his attachment of skills acquisition to the Ministry for an all-round development of the youth.
Signor Idiege revealed that one of the mandates of the Ministry is the sensitization, re-orientation, training and empowerment of youths across the eighteen Local Government Areas of the State to be self-reliant for greater productivity, adding that positive youth engagement and empowerment are key to reducing youth restiveness, hence the need for a skills development and entrepreneurial centre in the State, which Governor Ayade is committed to instituting.
He assured the NYSC Cross River, that every of their challenges and complaint will be channelled to the Governor who is ever ready to address the challenges and concerns pf youths.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Maryjane Ebri lauded the good working relationship that NYSC has hitherto had with the State Government through the Ministry, stating that the relationship will be nurtured to grow better and stronger for the purpose of youth development. She inferred that the inclusion of skills acquisition to the Ministry is an indication that all round youth development in the State is imminent and that there would be a robust relationship and interaction with the Corps for a greater synergy.
Earlier, the NYSC State Coordinator, Mr. Edwin Chinedu Megwa informed that presently, there are over five thousand corps members serving in Cross River State and who are deployed to serve in remote places where indigenes reject, adding that these are graduate youth from different parts of the country deployed to the State and that they need to be encouraged even as they serve their fatherland.
Mr. Megwa who decried the deplorable state of the NYSC Orientation Camp solicited for instant intervention in the areas of electricity and water supply to bring succour to the corps members during their orientation course, stating that there is also a need to intensify attendance of camp activities by State functionaries to boost the morale of the corps members and to strengthen good government relations with the NYSC body.
The NYSC State Coordinator however pledged the readiness of the Corps to synergise with the Ministry through their viable skills acquisition department, explaining that they run a 10days skills acquisition programme in different areas during the orientation exercise for corps members to better equip the youth and their host communities. He also noted that it would be a strong leverage point for the Ministry since it is delving on youth development through skills acquisition.
