General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Nigerian Army And Land Component Commander, Operation Delta Safe, Major General Everest Ifeanyi Okoro (right) presenting a souvenir to the Rivers State NYSC Coordinator, Moses Oleghe, during the visit.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division of the Nigerian Army and Land Component Commander, Operation Delta Safe, Major General Everest Ifeanyi Okoro, has described the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme as a vital national asset for promoting unity, cultural integration and nation-building in Nigeria.
Okoro said the scheme remained crucial to strengthening the bonds among Nigerians of diverse ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, stressing that its role in fostering national cohesion could not be overemphasised.
He stated this in Port Harcourt when he received the Rivers State NYSC Coordinator, Mr Moses Oleghe, and members of his management team during a courtesy visit to his office at Bori Camp Barracks.
The GOC commended the NYSC management and corps members for their contributions to nation-building, particularly through the promotion of national unity and cultural integration among Nigerians, irrespective of differences in tribe and language.
He noted that by bringing young graduates from different parts of the country together to serve in states other than their places of origin, the scheme provided an important platform for mutual understanding, peaceful coexistence and national solidarity.
Okoro also assured the Rivers State NYSC management of the Division’s commitment to strengthening security arrangements to protect corps members, particularly during their arrival in the state for orientation programmes.
He said the Division would continue to deploy appropriate security measures to mitigate threats to corps members and ensure their safety.
The GOC further commended Oleghe for what he described as his integrity, dedication and commitment to duty, noting that he had maintained a cordial and productive relationship between the NYSC and the Nigerian Army.
Earlier, the Rivers State NYSC Coordinator thanked the GOC for his support for the scheme, observing that his commitment had been evident despite having only recently settled into his assignment.
Oleghe said his visit was aimed at consolidating the existing relationship between the Nigerian Army and the NYSC, while seeking stronger collaboration in the discharge of their respective responsibilities.
He urged the GOC to sustain the cordial relationship and remain accessible to the scheme whenever the need arose.
The NYSC, established in 1973 in the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War, was designed to promote national reconciliation, reconstruction and integration by encouraging young graduates to serve outside their states of origin.
More than five decades after its establishment, the scheme remains one of Nigeria’s major institutional platforms for fostering inter-ethnic understanding and building a shared sense of national identity among young people.