According to a statement issued by the Katsina State Government, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, has announced plans to improve facilities at the National Youth Service Corps orientation camp in the state while seeking increased deployment of doctors and teachers in key subjects to address manpower shortages.
Radda made the request on Wednesday when he received the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, at the Government House in Katsina.
According to a statement issued by the Katsina State Government, the governor said the state needed more medical doctors as well as teachers of English, Mathematics and Science, particularly in rural communities where manpower gaps remain significant.
Radda described the NYSC as an important platform for national integration, noting that the deployment of graduates outside their states of origin had continued to promote understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.
“You find people from all walks of life and different states of the Federation converging here. Despite the challenges of adaptation, climate, cultural and religious differences, our people are hospitable and accommodate people irrespective of their religion or language,” he said.
The governor said Katsina had continued to benefit from the contributions of Corps Members, particularly in the education and healthcare sectors.
He recalled that during his time as a Local Government Chairman, Corps Members played an important role in supporting a mobile clinic operated to provide healthcare services to communities.
Katsina Recruited 10,000 Teachers, Radda Says More Are Needed
Radda said that despite the recent recruitment of more than 10,000 teachers by the state government, the number was still insufficient to meet the manpower needs of schools across Katsina.
He said Corps Members remained particularly important in rural schools.
“The state has recently recruited over 10,000 teachers, but they are still not adequate to address the need. The number of NYSC teachers that you find in most of the rural areas is quite amazing,” Governor Radda said.
The governor appealed to the NYSC leadership to consider Katsina’s specific manpower needs when deploying Corps Members, with particular emphasis on medical personnel and teachers in critical subjects.
“I also want to appeal to you to look at the challenges we have in the state, especially the medical doctors. They are not supposed to go where they want; they should go where they are needed,” he said.
Radda also requested increased deployment of teachers in English, Mathematics and Science to help address shortages across the state.
Governor Promises NYSC Camp Upgrades
The governor assured the NYSC Director-General that his administration would continue to support the scheme and would examine the renovation of hostel facilities at the orientation camp.
“I will definitely look at the renovation of the hostels, especially where these Corps Members are staying. I want to assure you that we will continue to partner together. I will continue to support the service as much as we can,” he said.
He directed the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development to make appropriate budgetary provisions to address some of the challenges raised by the NYSC leadership.
Radda also said the state government would review its existing support and allowances for Corps Members to identify areas requiring additional intervention.
“I believe we give allowances to medical doctors and NYSC medical doctors. I am not sure about other sectors, but even in education, I think we used to support all of them. So, we will look at where the gap exists and try to see how we can address it,” he said.
NYSC DG Says Katsina Is Safe for Corps Members
Earlier, Nafiu commended the Radda administration for providing what he described as a peaceful and conducive environment for Corps Members serving in Katsina State.
“Security is very paramount to our operation in the National Youth Service Corps. Because Katsina is peaceful and conducive for orientation activities and deployment of Corps Members to the nooks and crannies of Katsina State, we are able to send them to this state and go to sleep without panic,” he said.
The NYSC Director-General said the scheme, which began with 2,364 graduates in 1973, now mobilises more than 400,000 graduates for national service annually.
According to Nafiu, the scheme had a mobilisation budget for 450,000 graduates this year, while Nigerian universities, polytechnics and monotechnics were projected to produce about 650,000 graduates.
He also noted that female graduates had outnumbered male graduates since 2021, attributing the shift partly to educational policies and gender mainstreaming initiatives.
Nafiu said the NYSC remained important to states facing shortages of doctors, nurses, teachers and other skilled professionals, adding that Corps Members contributed to the economies of their host communities.
“We are not parasitic. This is a symbiotic relationship. When Corps Members are made to feel at home in terms of security, facilities and other infrastructure, they tend to go to those particular areas more,” he said.
The NYSC Director-General also praised the hospitality of Katsina residents, saying some Corps Members scheduled to complete their service on September 3 had already expressed concerns about leaving the state.
“Katsina is home to everyone,” he said.
Nafiu appealed to the state government to consider providing allowances for Corps Members as an additional incentive. He also thanked the government for supporting the feeding of Corps Members and urged the administration to sustain the intervention.
He further disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved a review of the Federal Government’s feeding provision for Corps Members from next year.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Governor Faruk Lawal; Principal Private Secretary Abdullahi Aliyu Turaji; Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development Surajo Yazeed Abukur; members of the Katsina State Executive Council; the NYSC State Coordinator; directors and other NYSC officials, as well as senior government officials.
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