Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
Participants at the corps members’ employers workshop, in Jalingo, Taraba State, on Wednesday, called for a better welfare package and improved security for Corps members serving in the state.
Chairman of Taraba State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), Dr. Philip Duwe, in his remarks at the workshop, said that Corps members were the back born of the system, deploying their services in various sectors of the economy and as such should be treated fairly well so that they would be sufficiently motivated to do their work well.
Duwe said that employers must begin to see and treat corps members in their employ as their own children deserving respect and the best treatment so that the corps members would in turn bring out the best in them, in the course of their service experience.
“These corps members must be appreciated as rare gifts with enormous potentials to lift the nation to an enviable height. We must see them as our children who deserve the very best for the great sacrifice they are making in service to father land,” Duwe said.
He urged corps members to desist from any acts that are inimical to their future and to always exhibit humility, self control and respect to constituted authorities.
In his remarks, the state Comptroller of Customs Bappah Muhammad noted with regret that some Corps employers turn to exploit the Corps members especially the female ones by abusing them sexually.
He cautioned the Corps members in the habit of “dressing provocatively to distract their bosses at work” and urged them to always report any incidents of abuse as keeping quiet would be encouraging the act to persist.
Earlier, the state Coordinator of NYSC, Mrs. Akyam Altine Japhet, who read the speech of the Director General of NYSC, said that the workshop was aimed at “strengthening mutual efforts between the authorities and Corps employers towards making the service year worthwhile for the Corps members”.
While noting that various challenges confront the NYSC and Corps members, Japheth warned that the Corps would not spare any employer who aids absenteeism by Corps members.
Several papers and talks were presented, drawn from the theme of this year’s workshop- “Tackling Emerging Challenges in Youth Corps Administration Through Greater NYSC/stakeholders Participation”.