The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde on Tuesday, urged corps members posted to the state for their one-year mandatory service to the nation to focus on personal growth for self-development through the acquisition of skills.
The Governor stated this at the swearing-in ceremony of the 2024 Batch A, stream ‘2’ Corps members held at the permanent orientation camp in Iseyin, Oyo State.
Makinde who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Wosilat Adegoke, charged the Corps members to take the programmes and training seriously.
He said, “The orientation course is the foundation of your one-year national service. I want you to take the Skill Acquisition Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme more passionately.
“The programme has been designed to equip you with relevant skills that will enable you to become self-reliant and wealth creator rather than job seeker.
“I want to encourage you to be open-minded and assimilate all the training you are bound to receive in this camp to make your service year very productive and memorable.”
The governor, therefore, discouraged the Corps members from engaging in any form of negativity but being optimistic despite the current situation in the country.
“I urge you to be optimistic about the progress and success of our nation despite our current challenges. I want you to know that we have hope in you to free this country from an unpleasant cycle,” he said.
Furthermore, he encouraged the Corps members to “join hands to fight the enemies and economic saboteurs of our country through innovation and entrepreneurship skills to move our beloved country from a consumption-oriented nation to a producing one.”
In his address, the NYSC Oyo State Coordinator, Mr Odoba Oche implored corps members to add value to their certificate by embarking on acquiring more skills for self-development.
“The three-week period of the orientation exercise is replete with different activities that are aimed at realising the objectives of the NYSC scheme and there are intentionally designed activities all geared towards making Corps members live a well-ordered life and be self-reliant,” Odoba stated.
He, therefore, appreciated the efforts of the Oyo state government for the tireless support of the NYSC scheme.
On his part, the Chairman of the Iseyin Local Government, Hon Mufutau Abilawon promised to assist the Corps members posted to the Iseyin local government area.
Highpoint of the ceremony was the administering of the oath by the Chief Judge of Oyo state, Justice Iyabo Yerima, represented by Justice Ladiran Akintola.
A total of 2,315 Corps members participated in the orientation exercise, with 1,177 males and 1,138 females.
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