- Decry rot in Orientation Camps nationwide
BY COBHAM NSA – The Cross River State Journalists Forum (CROSSJOF), Abuja chapter, has rejected the recent suspension of the Obubra NYSC Orientation Camp, slamming the decision by the Director General of National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, as a misdirected move.
The Forum said instead of shutting down vital facilities, the NYSC leadership should take immediate, proactive steps to overhaul and fix the decaying infrastructure plaguing orientation camps nationwide.
In a sharp reaction that highlights growing frustration over the poor state of facilities at the Obubra camp CROSSJOF argued that closing it punishes the State rather than addressing the root cause of the problem.
Rising from its recently held Congress, the Forum said in a statement that the sudden suspension exposes a systemic failure within the NYSC leadership, which has routinely neglected structural upkeep across the country.
The statement signed by the Forum Chairman, Mrs Francisca Ogar, stated that though the Obubra camp has decaying facilities, it is a sad reflection of some Orientation Camps in many parts of the country and none of such eyesores has been hurriedly closed down.
Rather than deploying reactionary closures that disrupt the lives of thousands of young graduates, the statement insisted that Brigadier General Nafiu must shift focus toward a comprehensive, nationwide renovation campaign weather-beaten and decaying structures in many of the camps.
CROSSJOF warned that leaving camps to rot until they require total abandonment is an unacceptable failure of governance that undermines the very spirit of the national service scheme.
While specifically noting that the camps are shared statutory responsibility between State and federal governments to provide support, and maintain orientation camp facilities, the Forum said the NYSC authorities must be shrik in their responsibilities of administering the scheme which also focuses on the welfare of Corps members
Also wondering if there is effective communication and engagement between the State and the Federal Government, the Forum cautioned that the decision would negatively impact on Cross River which relies heavily on Corps members for manpower in schools, hospitals and other establishments.
Additionally, CROSSJOF pointed to mounting concerns that Cross River State is being deliberately targeted, especially the fate of NYSC Board Chairman Ntufam Hilliard Etta, a Cross Riverian, who is yet to be sworn-in and also starved of operational support nearly a year after his nomination.
Accordingly, the Forum rejected the outright suspension of the orientation camp, and demanded that the NYSC boss temporarily relocate operations to a local boarding school or tertiary institution while repairs are carried out.
Furthermore, the journalists urged state governments nationwide to proactively maintain and upgrade all orientation camps, ensuring a safe, healthy, and conducive environment for corps members across the federation.
