Crystal Dike
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has approved the upgrade and renovation of facilities at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Permanent Orientation Camp in Nonwa-Gbam, Tai Local Government Area of the state.
Fubara disclosed this on Wednesday during a working visit by the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, to the Government House, Port Harcourt.
The governor described Rivers State as peaceful and hospitable, noting that its security and welcoming environment have continued to make it a preferred destination for corps members and their parents.
“Rivers State is a very hospitable state. We are a peaceful people, and I am not surprised by the surge in the number of people requesting deployment to the state, as well as the confidence parents have in sending their children here,” Fubara said.
He stressed that the primary responsibility of government remains the protection of lives and property and the provision of basic amenities, adding that his administration has remained committed to these duties.
Directing the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Benino Anabraba, to assess the scope of work needed at the camp, Fubara ordered that a report be submitted for immediate action.
The governor also assured the NYSC of office space for its newly established regional office and said the state government would consider relocating or renovating the NYSC State Secretariat, describing its current condition as no longer befitting.
Though the NYSC is a federal agency, Fubara said it remains the responsibility of the state to ensure the comfort and wellbeing of corps members serving within its territory.
Responding, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Nafiu, who is currently on a nationwide tour of orientation camps, disclosed that 2,586 corps members are undergoing the 2025 Batch C orientation programme in Rivers State, making it the fourth most preferred deployment destination in the country.
He added that 8,349 Rivers indigenes are presently serving in different states across Nigeria.
According to him, the services of corps members contribute significantly to national development and save the state up to ₦15 billion annually when valued at full salary rates.
“With this figure, Rivers ranks fourth in the country in terms of corps member deployment, after Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory and Oyo State,” he said.
Nafiu attributed the preference for Rivers State to the security of lives and property, which, he said, gives confidence to parents and guardians.
He thanked the governor for earlier support, including the provision of land for the State Coordinator’s residence and ongoing assistance in improving camp facilities.
The NYSC boss also requested the reconstitution of the state and local government NYSC governing boards and the relocation of the NYSC office currently located within the congested Mile 2 Market area of Diobu.
He recalled that the NYSC scheme began in 1973/74 with 2,764 corps members, but now operates with over 400,000 participants nationwide, with more than 650,000 graduates expected to be eligible for mobilisation in 2026—an expansion, he said, that underscores the urgent need to upgrade facilities across the country.