By Elijah Ugani
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) office in Cross River State has dismissed as untrue, reports that corps members have been killed in a renewed communal clash between Ukelle community in Yala local government area of Cross River and Izzi local government area of Ebonyi State.
Reports suggest scores have been killed, while the police command in the state has continuously refuted this claim.
And, the state coordinator of NYSC, Eniola Ambekemo while filing questions from journalists at a recent briefing to mark the passing out of the 2017 batch A stream 2 said that: “No corps member was killed in the state,” and charged that; “reporters should investigate before reporting.”
She further cautioned journalists not to “sit down and create fears in the minds of parents. We had crisis in Ukelle where three of our corps members were on their primary place of assignment, as soon as the crisis started, we had to move those corps members to Yala main town and they are currently there, and I can tell you that they are safe.”
Natives of Ukelle recently protested in Calabar demanding the state government to act swiftly days after the acting governor, Professor Ivara Esu had visited and a ceasefire was agreed by both parties.
Meanwhile, Ambekemo stated that a total of 1484 corps members passed out and were issued their discharged certificates, while 13 absconded from service and they are expected to repeat the service year and 10 corps members are to serve extension for offences such as absenteeism.
On meritorious service, 8 corps members received various awards of different categories, some received the Governor’s award while others got the ‘Board Governing Chairman award as well as the ‘State Coordinator’s’ commendation letter.
Also, she charged the discharged corps members to be good ambassadors of the scheme where ever they found themselves.
“My advice to these young men and women who have painstakingly served their fatherland meritoriously for a period of one year as prescribed law, should always be good ambassadors of the scheme.
“They have learned various skills in the orientation camp and the post camp training experience is enough to get them start up any kind of business while they wait for job,” she said.
And, Ambekemo who noted that corps members are posted on request to their various places of primary assignment, explained that the posting of some graduates in fields like engineering to schools was due to the lack of available firms to accommodate them hence their posting to schools to teach subjects like mathematics, physics, chemistry and in some cases, further mathematics.
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