Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta has urged members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to respect the cultures and norms of their host communities during their service year.
Oborevwori gave the advice on Tuesday at the Opening/Swearing-in ceremony of Batch C, Stream 1 corps members at NYSC Orientation Camp in Issele Uku.
Represented by Prof. Tonukari Johnbull, Commissioner for Higher Education, Oborevwori pledged his continued support to ensure the success of the scheme in the state.
“I welcome you to the State, I congratulate you all on the successful completion of your various academic programmes, which made it possible for you to be here.
“Most of you have been posted outside your states and geopolitical regions to broaden your understanding of the various cultures and people within the Nigerian federation.
“You should strive to see the period of the service as that of understanding and appreciating the cultural values of fellow Nigerians among who you are going to serve.
“I appeal to you to do away with whatever negative opinions or fears you held before now about either the state or your host community,” he said.
He urged them to see the period of their orientation and induction course as another significant period designed to instill some discipline and the spirit of national fellowship in them.
“The period is designed to accelerate national development and unity through the inculcation of the virtues of humility, sacrifice and dedicated service to the nation and its people.
“As youths, you have often been described as the leaders of tomorrow, Leadership confers on you responsibility and mandate to initiate ideas and policies towards national cohesion and integration capable of lifting our dear country to noble and greater heights.
“Your orderly conduct and comportment at the orientation camp so far, bears testimony of your genuine determination to render meaningful and selfless services to the people of Delta State and indeed Nigeria,” he said.
He urged them to apply themselves fully to the physical, psychological and cultural training, which they would be subjected to, during the orientation programme.
“At this moment of our national history, development and democratic governance, l appeal to you to be part of the vanguard far our hard won democracy.
“Democracy and its ethos demand from us, a spirit of give and take, patience, tolerance, dialogue, understanding and allowing those who hold contrary opinions to have their say.
“We should all be ready therefore to make sacrifices if we must enjoy the full dividends of democratic governance.
Mr Olusegun Alao, tState Coordinator of NYSC, urged corps members to be good ambassadors of their families and respective schools, while on camp and beyond.
“I urge you to distinguish yourselves during this programmes, as we are monitoring your performance which will be part of your final aggregates for Honours Awards at the end of the service year.
“The orientation programme which will last for three weeks is geared towards inculcating national ideals on the corps members during this period.
“They will be exposed to drills, lectures, Man-0-War activities, games and sports as well as social activities to ease off each day’s stress.
“More importantly, there will be an intensive skills acquisition training and entrepreneurship development aimned at equipping them to become self reliant as well as employers of labour during the service year.
“I therefore strongly encourage you to continue with the training after the orientation course.
“I humbly renew our request for continued infrastructural development of this camp in order to conveniently accommodate and cater for the welfare of corps members that will be deployed to the state”, he said.
He said that I,815 Batch C prospective corps members were registered for the programme in the state
