Governors no longer sponsor NYSC camping - DG says

The Director General, National Youth Service Corps, Brig.-Gen. Zachari Kazaure, on Tuesday, raised the alarm that some state governors were no longer sponsoring the camping of corps members.

He stated that this development had impacted negatively on camp activities, adding that the governors were abdicating their statutory responsibilities by not supporting the NYSC in the area of camping.

He appealed to them to sponsor camping and ensure that the camp facilities were of good standards.

He spoke during his tour of the NYSC Orientation Camp at Yikpata in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State.

He stated that the facilities at the Yikpata NYSC camp were deplorable and urged the Kwara State Government to revamp the camp.

Kazaure said, “We are here on national assignment. We are touring all the camps nationwide. We are here to see the facilities in the camp. As you are all aware, it is a statutory responsibility of the state government to produce camps and maintain the facilities. It is in the constitution. But with what I have seen here, I am highly disappointed. It is nothing to write home about. The standard is below standard.

“Many state governors are no longer sponsoring camp activities, Kwara State in particular. But some states are doing very well. I am not going to mention their names. But Kwara State is below standard. It is enshrined in the constitution. It is a statutory responsibility for them to produce the camp and maintain it. But they are not doing what is in the constitution. We are begging them to do something better than what they are doing.”

The NYSC DG said he would attend to the problems enumerated by the Kwara State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Esther Atamenwan.

Atamenwan, during her speech, said the camp had dilapidated buildings, obsolete facilities, poor electricity supply, no fence, poor road and inadequate beds.