By David Okpashi
The coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), in Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Jikamshi, Tuesday, appealed to cooperate organization and the government to accept corps members posted to the state as well as engaging them on community development.
Jikamshi who made the appeal during a courtesy call on the Nasarawa State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Lafia, explained that the call has become necessary in view of the under-utilization of the corps members in community development, which he said is the main point of the scheme.
“The scheme had achieved a lot and contributed immensely to the development of Nasarawa in different sectors since the creation of the state in October 1, 1996, but what is lacking is the utilization of the corps members on community development”.
Jikamshi further appealed to stakeholders to always provide accommodation, welfare as well as ensure the security of the corps members posted to their organisations.
He lamented that most organisations were not properly engaging the corps members posted to them.
“When you assign responsibility to a corps member only one or two times in a week, what do you expect him or her to do with the other days and time,” he asked.
Jikamshi further explained that corps members were all youths, full of energy and initiative to add value to the society and appealed that host communities should engage them every day.
Responding, the state NUJ chairman, Comrade Salihu Alikali, expressed gratitude to the management of NYSC for the visit and the desire for partnership.