THE Special Assistant, Media to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Comrade Fidelis Egugbo and a Senior Director in the Ministry of Information in the state, Mr Harold Ojji have urged members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) to always put in their best in their places of primary assignments as their efforts cannot go unnoticed.
They spoke on Wednesday at a send-forth ceremony for Miss Grace Jesse, a corps member sent to serve at Maris Schools, Amachai-Okpanam in Oshimili North local government area of the state.
According to them, the one year service year by all graduates exposes Nigerian youths to different parts of the country.
Egugbo said, “today, we are here to thank God that Miss Grace Jesse has successfully completed her one year compulsory service to the nation.
“We thank God because, Miss Jesse who is from Borno State successfully blended with Deltans and brought out her best within the service year by diligently working as a teacher in Maris Schools.
“She completed her service year about a month ago but due to her passion for the job, she volunteered to spend extra weeks to enable her complete her course work for the term.
“Certainly, corps employers are humans and as such, any corps member who brings out her best during the service year cannot go unrewarded; if the corps employer fails to do such, God will reward such a person because, the one year is more of a voluntary service to the nation, to humanity and to expose the corps member to the nation.
“In Delta State, our Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa is passionate about education and the NYSC as an agency, has benefited immensely from his administration – he did not only ensure that the permanent orientation camp of the NYSC got befitting structures, he is also providing other incentives to make corps members who are posted in the state comfortable.
“All that is required of the corps members is to take the one year service as a period to make their marks in wherever they may find themselves as their places of primary assignment.”
Mr Ojji who served as the Public Relations Officer to the governor of Delta State for several years, stated that the NYSC has in a lot of ways, changed the perception of Nigerian youths with the exposure they get from the one year service to the nation.
While congratulating Miss Jesse for successfully completing her one year service, Mr Ojji noted that the one year service also, serve as a period of facing the realities of life by young graduates; a period between leaving the four walls of the university and preparing for the challenges of life after school.
He noted that while some corps members get extra year, extra months or days for failing to do what is expected of them, Miss Jesse based on her commitment to duty, added extra weeks to enable her meet up with the work for the term.
“I am happy with the friendly environment at Maris Schools; in less than four years of opening, I can see tremendous changes in the landscape and educationally.
“Within this period, your pupils have emerged in flying colours in the Primary Six Leaving Certificate Examinations and the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examinations; this calls for thanksgiving to God and I am happy that you also, put God first in whatever you do.
“To the corps members who are still serving, God will give you the state of mind to bring out your best knowing that you are not only serving our nation, Nigeria but you are serving God through service to humanity; to the management of the school and the teachers, continue to rely on God and bring out your best at all times.
“NYSC will remain a unifying factor in the country; most of you who are here never knew that you will ever meet and the bonding has shown that you all are relating as members of one family working for a set goal of making Maris Schools the best in the neighbourhood, the state and beyond.
“All I can say now is thank you and may God continue to give you the will to bring out your best in rendering this one year service which Miss Jesse has successfully completed,” Mr Ojji who is a member of the Board of Directors, Delta State Printing and Publishing Company Limited, publishers of The Pointer Newspapers said.
Some of those who spoke at the event include Comrade Uche Igba, Corps members Ugochukwu Onyekachi (a.k,a Blessed), Ayomide Samuel, Patrick Okolo, thanked the management of Maris Schools for organizing the send-forth and prayed that Miss Jesse will succeed in her future endeavours.
Miss Jesse thanked management of Maris Schools for making the service year eventful, noting that she did not feel as if she was far from home during the service year.
She also, thanked other corps members who are still in the school for their cooperation and urged them to give the students of the school their best.
High point of the event was presentation of gift to Miss Jesse which was done by Mr Ojji as a special guest of the school.
