ABUJA – NYSC members deployed in Abuja have urged the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to address the challenges confronting them in the areas of accommodation, feeding and transportation, among others.
The corps members made their views known in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.
Miss Gloria Ihejirika, a Batch A corps member, said that securing accommodation after the orientation programme in camp posed a major challenge to corps members deployed to the FCT.
Ihejirika also said that her monthly allowance goes into accommodation with additional help from her family.
“Let the Federal Government evolve a scheme to provide accommodation for corps members deployed to Abuja,’’ she suggested.
For Mr James Okonkwo, a Batch B corps member, his major challenge was the issue of transportation.
” I find it difficult to move from one place to another without spending a huge amount of money on daily basis.
“Getting a vehicle to my destination at the right time is difficult if not impossible and that always makes me report to my place of primary assignment late”.
He also said that accommodation was another major challenge corps members faced, because most of the good houses in the city centre were usually very expensive and unaffordable to an ordinary corps member.
James further said that after spending on transportation and house rent, not much was left to feed and “this makes life uncomfortable.
” I live at Karimo village on the outskirts of the city centre, where I usually pay N12,000 monthly for my rent. After spending on transportation and feeding, am left with nothing.”
Miss Patience Emeje, a Batch B corps member, noted that NYSC members in Abuja also suffered from exploitation.
“They are being exploited by some hoodlums who feel they are new to the environment.’’
According to her, some offices do not care about the welfare of their employees, and I feel that the employers are supposed to be responsible for them.
Emeje urged the government to intervene in their situation, adding that the provision of accommodation and transportation would help the corps members to live a good life in Abuja.
She suggested that the government could provide shuttle buses to transport corps members to their various places of primary of assignment.
According to Mr Adebayo Matthew of Batch B, the NYSC lodges are inadequate.
“We plead with the Federal Government and the FCT minister to provide more provide lodges for corps members deployed to the FCT just as houses are provided for civil servants,’’ adding that the existing lodges were uncomfortable and inadequate.
Matthew further appealed to the Federal Government to consider increasing the NYSC monthly allowance in view of the challenges corps members faced. (NAN)
Corps members serving in FCT list challenges, urge govt intervention
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