Declare Your Assets Now Or….NYSC DG

By Kenneth Orusi, Asaba

The Director-General (DG) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Johnson B. Olawumi has ordered the Directors and other staff of the agency who have not made the assets public to do so or face the wrath of the law.

Olawumi gave the order Wednesday while speaking at a 3-day 2016 Annual Management Conference tagged: “Strengthening the Operational Strategies of the NYSC Scheme for Effective Youth Management” holding at Grand Hotel in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

He hinted that NYSC management would be consistent in dealing with those who refused to make the periodic asset declaration as required by the Code of Conduct for public officers.

According to the DG, machinery has been put in place for all staffers to adhere strictly to government policy, “and so my staff will not be left out on the issue that moderate their conducts within the matrix of the larger public service”.

On the increasing Corps population, Olawumi revealed that a detail proposal and cost requirement of the initiative would be forwarded to the federal government for consideration to conduct orientation course programme on quarterly basis from next year to accommodate Corps members that are likely to hit 350, 000 in no distant time, “the scheme is currently battling with sudden increase in Corps population with accompanying decrease in the budgetary allocation as a result of dwindling government revenue”.

He appealed to the state governors that has no permanent orientation camps to urgently make provision for one as a way of contributing to human capital and youth development, “I equally appeal to states that do not have Permanent Orientation camps to expedite action since the provision of NYSC Permanent Orientation camp is the statutory responsibilities of the state government and part of their contribution to human capital and youth development”.

Declaring the conference open, the state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Hon. Festus Ovie Agas urged the agency to bring up fresh ideas that would improve on their performances, create opportunities for the development of modern practices and others that would help in the course of implementing NYSC policies.

According to him, “it is pertinent to make reference to the ongoing NYSC Health Programme tagged Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers, which has contributed to healthcare delivery in some of our communities”.

Okowa said that since the establishment of the agency, the social, political, economic and cultural development of the country has been improved, adding that in the state communities now has value for education, agriculture, infrastructure, youth empowerment, technology and social services.

In her vote of thanks, the Coordinator of NYSC in the state, Mrs. Olive Etukudoh appreciated Okowa for the immense he has given to the organization just as he thanked participants, staff and Corps members for their cooperation.