Don’t pay lip service to oath of allegiance, Sanwo-Olu advises NYSC members

By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu

The Lagos State Government has charged newly sworn-in NYSC members to allow their oath of allegiance to guide and constantly remind them of their duties and obligations to the fatherland.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said at the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) Orientation Camp, Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos state, that corps members had continued to be of immense service to the nation through participation in important national programmes.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 2,577 Corps members, consisting of 745 males and 1,832 females posted to Lagos State, answered the clarion call on May 3, 2023.

“Do not pay lip-service to the words of the oath of allegiance; it is important to take note that for you to have a beautiful, memorable and very successful service year, you must be deliberate about the journey.

“Your journey of service year begins with the orientation course which starts today, it’s an integral part of the service year that provides the platform to prepare you adequately.

“Take advantage of opportunities and challenges that you may experience during the period and even beyond, therefore, take all aspect of the courses very seriously and ensure you imbibe values of the scheme in the process.”

“On our part, we will continue to provide the enabling environment for the scheme to achieve its goals and objectives,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Mr Mobolaji Ogunlende, also enjoined the corps members to cooperate with camp officials, abide by instructions and guidelines.

Similarly, Mrs Yetunde Baderinwa, NYSC Lagos State Cordinator, while congratulating the corps members for success in their examination that qualified them for the scheme to take the opportunity to invest in the nation.

Baderinwa encouraged the fresh corps members to be of good conduct

during the orientation and throughout the service year, assuring them that outstanding ones would be rewarded at the end of the service year.

 The NYSC cordinator thanked Sanwo-Olu for his interest in the scheme, for also initiating activities that continued to impact positively on the lives of youths and for aiding seamless operation in the state.

She also commended the management of ‘One-Data’ for making available free access to internet services for corps members while at the orientation camp, describing the gesture as a magnanimous contributions to the memorable experience for the corps members.

According to her, the magnanimity will not be forgotten, hoping that the partnership will be long lasting.

Baderinwa advised the corps members to make judicious use of the generosity by engaging the Internet responsibly on opportunities that would put their lives in good stead.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Ibrahim Odumboni, said he would be working with members of the scheme as advocates for cycling economy in communities.

According to him, within the three weeks orientation camp programme, “we are going to put them through in Waste Circle Economy Education Awareness and Task, so that on their CD days, they will be doing things in that regards as positive for our environment”.

“We have done a lot of education and awareness on cycling in Lagos but now we feel that partnership with this new corps members, they can be advocates and be role models,” he added.

On the sideline, Ogunlende called on the corps members to see the three weeks orientation camp as period of sobber reflection of their lives, having graduated and going into the next phase of their lives.

According to him, a lot of them have come together as an opportunity to build on their network, put innovations together and see what they can do collectively to make themselves better, Lagos State and places of their primary assignments.

NAN reports that the signing of oath of allegiance by  representatives of the platoons was administered by Justice Olayinka Adeyemi, representative of the chief Judge of Lagos State.

(NAN)