Ikpeazu Urges Corps Members to Shun Drug Abuse, Other Vices

Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia
Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has appealed to members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) posted to the state to avoid indulging in those vices that could cut short their lives as they begin their service year.

He gave the advice while addressing the 2018 Batch “A” corps members deployed to God’s Own State. The 2,385 corps members comprising 1,120 males and 1,265 females took their oath of allegiance as they commenced the orientation programme preparatory to their service.

The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Youth Development and state Chairman NYSC Governing Board, Mr. Ike Anyatonwu, said that it was imperative for youths to shun any life style that would prevent them from living a fulfilled life.

“You must therefore shun those vices that have the tendency of truncating the lives of youths such as the use of hard rugs, cultism and armed robbery,” he said, adding that the corps members should rather imbibe those virtues that would mark them out as outstanding individuals.

Ikpeazu said that Nigerian youths “are no longer future leaders but today’s leaders” hence they should take advantage of their training in the orientation camp to acquire leadership skills.

“This leadership role starts here on camp as some of you will take up various leadership roles during and after your orientation course. You must therefore brace up to this challenge,” he said.

The Abia governor further advised the corps members to also take hue interest in skills acquisition training as “this will greatly enhance your potentials and create opportunities of employment during and after the service year.”

Earlier in her address the NYSC state director, Mrs. Francesca Ifon, said that the 2,385 corps members that registered at the close of registration on April 19, 2018 have adjusted to the regimented camp life hence “we are of a firm conviction that they would be disciplined throughout the duration of the orientation course.”

She advised the corps members to fully participate in all camp activities as contained in the orientation schedule, including skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development.

Meanwhile the corps members are contending with accommodation problem as rain storm has destroyed the female hostel as well as the camp pavilion and other structures.

The state director had conducted the commissioner round the permanent orientation camp to see the damages done to the structures by the rain storm that hit the camp few days before the swearing-in ceremony.