Two members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Aminat Dauda from Ogun and Gbenga Osuntan from Ondo State have received the Sultan’s awards for Excellent Service in Sokoto rural communities.
The Sokoto State Coordinator of the NYSC, Philip Enaberue, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Sokoto on Friday.
He commended Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar for the gesture which served as a motivation for corps members.
Mr Enaberue said the recipients served with the 2017 Batch A, Stream II, in remote communities in Tangaza and Gada Local Government Areas.
He explained that the awards: “Best Behaved Male and Female Corps Members’’, were instituted to encourage corps members to stay and serve diligently in the rural areas, especially remote places.
According to him, the Sultan’s Personal Secretary, Hali Machiddo, presented sets of Plasma Televisions with N100, 000 prizes to each awardee.
The NYSC coordinator said that the monarch’s effort was geared at encouraging corps members not to over-concentrate in the urban areas, where their services would be under-utilised.
Mr Enaberue said that the services of corps members were more needed by the rural dwellers.
“We are hopeful that some corps members from the state will get Presidential awards as the committee begins to screen nominations from states,” the coordinator said.
He said that the NYSC had partnered with some agencies to impart business skills to corps members for them to be productive during and after service.
Mr Enaberue said that the Bank of Industry, Central Bank of Nigeria, Heritage Bank and poverty eradication agencies had been granting loans to some corps members to promote entrepreneurship programme.
NAN
