Katsina State Government has honoured three National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members with one million naira each for their excellent performance in their various host communities.
The state’s Commissioner for Sports and Youths Development, Aliyu Lawal-Zakari, disclosed this while presenting the cheques to the corps members in Katsina on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the corps members are Hafsat Abdulhamid-Abdulsalam, Nafisa Umar-Hassan and Blessing Eneh-Ameh.
Mr Lawal-Zakari, who is also the Chairman of the state NYSC Governing Board, said that the award was approved by Gov. Dikko Radda.
According to him, the gesture is aimed at encouraging other corps members to put in their best in the development of their host communities.
The commissioner added that henceforth, the state award of excellence for the best corps members would be sustained by the state government.
He, therefore, called on other serving corps members, especially the males, who hardly showed much interest in community development service, to begin to show interest.
Mr Lawal-Zakari disclosed that a plan by the NYSC Coordinator in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Sa’idu and the state government, was ongoing to give the corps members an automatic employment.
According to him, the gesture is to show appreciation to the corps members for their commitment to the unity and development of the country, and also to motivate others.
He disclosed the possibility of sustaining such automatic employment for the best three corps members by the governor.
The commissioner also said that the state government had sent money to the families of two corps members that lost their lives while serving in the state.
Earlier, The NYSC coordinator, said the corps members deserved the honour because they executed community oriented projects that benefitted the people of their host communities.
According to him, due to the commitment, one of the corps members, Umar-Hassan, was given a chieftaincy title (Sarauniya Bautar Kasan Kaita Na daya), meaning the Queen of Corps Members, in Kaita Local Government of the state.
Mr Umar-Hassan also trained and supported 20 vulnerable women on how to rear chickens and constructed a motorized borehole at the Emir’s palace in Kaita.
Mr Umar-Hassan, who is from Kaduna State, provided 100 pupils with school uniforms.
Mr Abdulsalam built a borehole at Dandagoro community and conducted awareness campaign on tuberculosis in her host community.
Blessings Eneh-Ameh assembled 50 pregnant women and sensitized them on hygiene and supported them.
Sa’idu said that the benefitting communities where the corps members executed the projects, would continue to remember them.
The coordinator thanked the state government for the hospitality that the corps members enjoyed in the state, and requested for sustainability.
The beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the state government and the NYSC coordinator for honouring them, promising to use the money judiciously.
NAN
