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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State Coordinator of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC),Mrs. Okolo Agatha Banki has insisted that as a certified humanitarian,the adequate provisions of security and welfare for the Corps members in the state have contributed to her success in the state for the past one year.
Banki,stated this while speaking with newsmen at the NYSC headquarters, Birnin Kebbi.
She noted that in Kebbi State, Corps members health and feeding are not taking for granted because adequate provisions have been putting in place to cater for the Corps basic needs by state government and NYSC during their orientation exercise at the camp.
According to her, “the Commanding Officer of Dukku Barack has been given us maximum support by deploying enough men to secure our camp. The police too are given us so much cooperation and we have enough men from them. I just held a meeting with our major stakeholders.
“The DSS have always been our strong pillar of support in the camp. The Nigeria’s Security and Civil Defence have always been there for us. The NDLEA too always play a very vital role. Again,we always have our camp guards on ground from 1 Battalion to secure our camp. In short,our camp is always secure.
“In term of welfare,the welfare of our Corps members and Staff are key agenda of our Director General. And being an Ambassador of the scheme here in Kebbi,as the representative of DG in the state,the welfare of Corps members has always been the key on my agenda.
“In views of that,we have enhanced on the feeding of Corps members in the camp. The State Government has been supporting us. We don’t have any issue regarding the feeding. There is water, electricity and the environment is tidy.
“As a certified humanitarian,the welfare of the Corps members is guaranty and key to me. And those issues have contributed to my success in the past one year in this state”.
Banki also noted that,health of Corps members were not taken for granted which has corrected the past incidents when Corps members were been reported to have collapsed or die while in the Camps across the country.
She said: ” their health is also very key to us because it also part of the welfare. We are having a collaboration with the Federal Medical Center(FMC)Birnin Kebbi and we have new packages on health for our Corps members which is the introduction of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“I was one of those who brokered that agreement when I was at the Deputy Director at Corps Welfare Department ,NYSC headquarters,Abuja.I was a member of the Committee that brokered that agreement in 2021.
“So, at the state level,the role of NHIS has improved and hasten the health of Corps members.”.
She added that the Insurance Scheme have provided cheap health treatments to the Corps members, stressed that,that era of having critical health challenges of Corps members during their service years have gone forever.
Banki,who also commended the state Government for providing security in the state,noted that, Kebbi State have been relatively peaceful compare to neighbour states where kidnapping were rampant.
She however requested that the State Government should establish training center for Corps members who have acquired various skills during their service in the state and allow the youths in the state to enroll in the center to learn skills from the Corps members.
