Vice Chancellor, Rivers State University, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi (left) addressing the corps members, while the Rivers state coordinator of NYSC, Moses, watches.
Four members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have died in the course of their national service, while 12 others have been ordered to repeat the service year for various infractions in Rivers State.
The disclosure was made on Thursday during the low-key passing-out ceremony for 2,538 members of the 2025 Batch ‘B’ Stream II Corps Members who served in the Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City Local Government Area (PHALGA) zones of Rivers State.
The ceremony was held at the Convocation Arena of the Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt.
Giving a breakdown of the Corps Members’ final service status, the Rivers State NYSC Coordinator, Moses Oleghe, said 48 Corps Members, comprising 28 males and 20 females, had their service extended, while 12 others, five males and seven females, were directed to repeat the national service year.
Rivers State NYSC Coordinator, Moses Oleghe presenting a certificate to a corp member.
He also disclosed that four Corps Members paid the supreme sacrifice during the service year.
Oleghe urged the outgoing Corps Members to uphold the values acquired during their national service and apply the skills they had learnt to build productive careers and contribute meaningfully to society.
“Do right at all times to all men and women, and activate fully the skills that you learnt in the course of the service year,” he advised.
He cautioned the Corps Members against the growing obsession with getting rich quickly, urging them instead to embrace hard work, discipline, dignity in labour and the fear of God.
The NYSC coordinator encouraged the graduates to remain responsible citizens and use their experiences and skills from the service year to positively impact their communities and the country.
The Special Guest of Honour and Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, also charged the Corps Members to maintain high ethical standards after leaving the NYSC scheme.
Zeb-Obipi urged them to “continue to promote ethical values that will project their personal image and family name, positively.”
Cross section of Youth Corps members at the passing out held at the Convocation Arena of Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.
The Vice-Chancellor further assured Corps Members interested in pursuing postgraduate studies that Rivers State University would warmly welcome them and provide the necessary assistance to facilitate their integration into the institution.
The passing-out ceremony marked the completion of national service for the 2,538 Corps Members, even as the deaths of four members and the sanctioning of others underscored the risks and responsibilities associated with the one-year national service programme.