· NCC donates 100 mattresses to FCT NYSC
Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja
Corp members, currently undergoing orientation exercise in Sokoto State, yesterday staged a unity march to mark the 48th anniversary of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC).
The march was staged at the time some stakeholders were advocating for the scrapping of the NYSC, citing the scheme’s failure to achieve its primary mandate.
But thousands of corps members carried placards with the inscription: “Unity is our strength. In brotherhood we stand. Shun cyber crime. Shun acts that divide us.”
Speaking during the march, the NYSC Coordinator, Sokoto State, Mr Philip Enaberue said NYSC was a symbol of unity holding the country together as an indivisible entity.
He said: “What we are witnessing today is to tell the world that as Nigerians we are one irrespective of ethnic and religious background.’
Also speaking, a member of NYSC Governing Board, Alhaji Abdullahi Maishanu said NYSC “is the most enduring scheme that has promoted the country’s unity, integration and economic development.”
Maishanu reiterated the state government commitment to the welfare and safety of corps members posted to the state.
During the march, some corps members, who spoke to THISDAY, said NYSC had eroded negative thought they had towards other tribes in the country.
They further disclosed that before they came to Sokoto, they held the view that the state was not safe, but discovered that it was the most peaceful state in the country.
Meanwhile, the National Communications Commission (NCC) at the weekend donated 100 mattresses to NYSC Orientation Camp, Kubwa, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking after the donation, NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta said they were the NYSC to replace some of the items that were stolen from the camp during the ENDSARS protest when some miscreants came and vandalized the camp.
Danbata, who was represented by the Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, said: “We are here today to share in your loss and to support the replacement of some of the items carted away by hoodlums during the End SARS protests of October 27, 2020.
“The commission is here to present you with a hundred pieces of mattresses for the use of the Corp members. This act is one out of the commission’s numerous Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).”
He said that youth played “a great role in national building. They contribute to national development and are responsible for bringing social reforms.”
He said: “The commission as the foremost regulator in Nigeria’s telecom industry has been supporting the youth through various projects and activities aimed at making them self-reliant and enhancing their contribution to the economy. One of such programmes is the young innovator.”
He also spoke “on the contributions of the telecoms industry to the country. That is a well-known fact that telecommunication services are critical to the overall socio-economic well being of every economy.
“It provides a technological foundation for societal communications and plays a critical role in the fundamental operations of a society-from business to government to families. It has become the centre of our everyday life.
According to him, telecommunication has opened up opportunities for business to thrive.
He said the business had taken advantage of sophisticated telecom systems such as video conferencing, video calling and on-line marketing to improve productivity, better customer services and increased growth which invariably had boosted the economy.
He used the opportunity “to caution telecoms consumers against opening strange emails. The commission advises all consumers not to open emails not familiar to them, never to post personal identification information online or save passwords online.
“Note also that your bank will never ask you for your personal details via the internet. In the event of any unfortunate circumstance leading to infiltration of your personal platforms, please contact your bankers immediately to freeze your account and also inform your mobile service provider for further actions.”
On the use of the national emergency number (112), he said, “All telecom operators are mandated to route emergency calls through the dedicated three-digit Toll Free Number, 112, from each state to the emergency centre within that state.
“The call centre agents, who are resident in the ECC will then process the distress call and contact the relevant Emergency Response Agency (e.g. Fire Service, Police, FRSC, Ambulance) whose primary duty is to handle the case.
“Thirty-six centres and the FCT have been built and provided with equipment across the nation in all six geopolitical zones. So far Nineteen (19) of the ECCs are fully operational.
