By Awayi Kuje
Lafia – Officers of Nigerian Peace Corps (NPC) have embarked on community service by clearing refuse and filling potholes along major roads in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, as part of their social responsibility.
Mr Bala Joshua, the NPC Commandant in the state, made this known on Sunday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia after the officers embarked on the exercise.
He said that apart from the community and health services, the corps rendered many financial assistance to orphans, patients, paid WAEC and school fees for orphans and paid fines for the released of over 11 inmates, among other humanitarian gestures.
He called on traders and residents of the state to avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse considering its harmful effects to human health.
The commandant noted that the initiative would go a long way in keeping the environment clean as well as prevent accidents caused by the potholes.
“We cleared refuse dumped by market people and filled potholes in new Tomato Market as well as my men filled potholes along Shendam road and our State Command Junction at Jos Road.
“Rendering our voluntary service is a community self service work and one of the objectives of the organisation.
“In Shendam road, if you are conversant with the road very well, before the state Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs after the Government House, we cleared those sand along the road and also covered potholes for easy movement by motorists.
“The same thing was done in tomato market as we filled the potholes with stones and sand and cleared gutters for easy flow of water as well as to keep the environment clean for the overall development of the state and the country at large.
“The community services are part of our commitment of giving the society our support which is also incorporated in our bill that has just been passed by the National Assembly so as to make the environment clean and also to save lives due to the nature of the road,” he said.
Joshua said that the command is collaborating with other security agencies to sensitise the people on the need to always shun crime and other negative tendencies in the interest of peace and national development.
He restated the commitment of the corps to continue to key in to good policies and programmes that would have direct bearing on the lives of the people of the state and Nigerians.
The commandant called on the people of the state and Nigerians to be law abiding, respect constituted authorities and to live in peace irrespective of their affiliation, adding that no meaningful development can be achieved in any society without peace.
“Peace and unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable, we must embrace peace and be our brother keepers at all the time because no society will achieve speedy development without peace as peace is priceless and non-negotiable and it is the necessary requirement for the development of any society,” he said.