CORPS members have been described as veritable instruments for rapid rural development of the country.
They are also veritable resources in the country’s determined efforts for improved standard of living for its people.
Imo Governor, Mr Rochas Okorocha, made these observation on Tuesday at the closing ceremony of the orientation course for 2017 Batch ‘A’ Stream (11) Corps Members deployed to Imo held in Eziama Obaire in Nkwerre Local Government area.
Okorocha, who was represented by his Deputy, Prince Eze Madumere, said that operators of the NYSC could achieve these by cueing into the diversification vision of the Federal Government in the area of agriculture.
He said that the relevance of agriculture to the revival of the economy could not be over-emphasised, saying the country could not continue to rely on oil as a major revenue earner.
According to the governor, farm and agricultural extension centers can be revived to boost food production and further create wealth for the people of Nigeria and the state in particular.
“I charge the operators of the NYSC to be a veritable source of rapid rural development in our determined effort to improve the standard of living of the people of Nigeria and the state in particular,” he said.
Okorocha said it was time the scheme begun to look for ways to expand the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) and the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD) programmes.
He said these would go a long way in improving the condition of living of the people in all nooks and crannies of the state.
Okorocha advised the corps members to be calm, disciplined and law abiding, adding that the nation was gradually undergoing transformation in all vital sectors of the economy.
The governor said that jobs and wealth were being created in accordance with the change mantra of the current administration and pledged to continue to provide the necessary support and assistance to the NYSC to realise its objectives.
Earlier, the NYSC State Coordinator, Mr James Olugbodi, said that the corps members posted to the state had been richly empowered and trained to commence their primary assignments.
He thanked all the stakeholders that contributed to the successes recorded at the end of the orientation course.
Olugbodi urged the corps members to remain loyal, disciplined, dedicated, dutiful and law abiding and to mix freely with the people in their host communities.
“Endeavour to pinpoint the people’s needs and find out areas you can help out in a bid to make concerted effort to solve the needs, using the community development service as a tool,” he said.
The state NYSC coordinator expressed gratitude to the governor for the ongoing projects at the orientation camp, especially the construction of a storey building as corps hostel, which he said, would promote corps members’ welfare.
NAN reports that over 1,500 corps members were posted to Imo for the service year.
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