The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Shuiabu Ibrahim, has cautioned employers against rejecting corps members posted to their establishment in Ekiti State.
The DG who spoke on Wednesday during the 2021 Corps Employers Workshop in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital expressed regret that some employers were conniving with corps members to feign rejection from their place of primary assignment, which he said was against the guidelines of the scheme.
According to him, the scheme was determined to ensure the welfare of corps members posted to the state hence, the need to engage the employers in order to form a common ground towards contributing to the development of the society.
He said: “As we go into the main business of this programme, I will like to draw attention to some observed shortcomings on the part of corps employers including increasing rejection of corps members; aiding corps members to stage-manage their own rejection; aiding abscondment of corps members. These are many other challenges that need to be tackled headlong.”
Represented by the South-West Area Director advised corps employers in the agriculture, industry and in the education sectors to eschew all forms of inhuman treatment of corps members posted to their establishment and place a high premium on their welfare and security to serve as motivation and guarantee their effectiveness.
“No doubt, these will be veritable sources of motivation for the corps members and will go a long way to engender productivity. Accordingly, employers are required to equally pay particular attention to the security of corps members posted to your organisations, given the fact that they are in the new environment and you are enjoined to effectively guide them on safety.
“It is my hope that we will take a critical look at all issues raised while also sharing our experiences so as to chart ways forward in line with the aim of this forum,” he said.
Speaking, the Commissioner for Youths and Sports and chairman of NYSC governing board, Michael Awopetu said, ” the workshop was aimed at reminding employers about the welfare of corps members, cordial relationship between them and the roles expected of corps members in their place of work.
“As employers, I want us to design new welfare packages for corps members in our respective establishments to better their effectiveness and efficiency.”
On her part, the State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Mary Chikezie, noted that the workshop became necessary for the leadership of the scheme to rob minds and engage the corps employers in a bid to achieve the laid down objectives of the NYSC.
“It is the employers that manage the corps members for the better part of the service year, hence the need to meet them and engage more for the benefit of all,” she said.
Presentations were made by employers, resource persons and government officials towards enhancing the effectiveness of the scheme and national development.