By Joseph Atainyang
One
of the pioneer Directors General, DG of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC,
General Edet Akpan has announced that during his time, he was mobilizing 120
thousand corps members across the country on yearly basis.
General Akpan made this position known recently when
the current DG of NYSG, Brig. Gen SZ Kazaure visited him in his Uyo residence,
Akwa Ibom State.
The former NYSC boss said the population of graduates
in the country then was sizeable compared to what obtains at the moment when
thousands of Nigerian graduates from hundreds of public and private
universities are being turned into the labour market annually.
Edet Akpan recalled that it was during his time as the
Scheme's DG that he proposed the exclusion of NCE gradates from mobilization, a
situation which he said, helped to reduce the number of corps members.
He thanked the DG for taking time out of his busy
schedules in the state to pay him a visit, saying he too, has been missing the
opportunities of seeing the current DG when visiting Abuja because of the job's
busy nature.
He wished the DG a peaceful stay in the state and prayed God's wisdom on him so he would accomplish his task.
In his remarks, the NYSC DG, Brig Gen SZ Kazaure said
he was at Gen Akpan's place to thank him for the good legacies he left behind
in the Scheme.
SZ Kazaure who stated that he was presently mobilizing
over 300 thousand corps members annually, said it was not possible that he
would be in the State without paying homage to the retired Army General whose
imprints were still boldly seen in the Scheme.
It could be recalled that Gen. Akpan was the 4th DG of
NYSC who served between 1984 and 1988 and whose tenure was tagged "The
Redemption Era" owing to a number of situations that needed to be
streamlined to make the Scheme meet its core mandate.
Those who accompanied the DG on the visit were: the
Director, Special Duties, Mr. Hillary Nasamu; the Director, Press and Public
Relations Unit, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi and the Coordinator, NYSC, Akwa Ibom State,
Mr Cyril Akhanemhe.
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