By Nkechi Eze
The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has been formally decorated as a SERVICOM Champion by the SERVICOM National Office in recognition of his leadership and the NYSC’s outstanding commitment to service excellence and citizen-centered delivery.
The honour was conferred during the official presentation of the SERVICOM Compliance Evaluation Report on the NYSC Directorate Headquarters and selected state secretariats. The ceremony was held on Tuesday at the National Directorate Headquarters of the NYSC in Maitama, Abuja.
According to a signed statement by the Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, the decoration was performed by Mrs Ngozi Akinbudewa, Head of Operations, SERVICOM National Office, who represented the National Coordinator, Mr Gbenga Anthony Oshim.
Akinbudewa disclosed that SERVICOM officials had carried out a detailed evaluation of NYSC activities in 10 orientation camps and at the headquarters in Abuja. The evaluation, she said, revealed commendable initiatives introduced by the Scheme, including the NYSC Personal Accident Insurance Document (PAD) Bank, dedicated helplines for distressed corps members, and the free enrolment of corps members in the National Health Insurance Agency (NHIA).
“These are clear indicators of a citizen-focused agency that places high premium on quality service delivery,” she stated.
Highlighting the Scheme’s achievements, Oshim, through his representative, praised NYSC for its efforts in youth empowerment, fostering national unity through cultural integration, building strategic partnerships, and providing excellent reception for corps members at camps nationwide. He also commended several states including Edo, Kwara, Kano, Imo, Adamawa, Benue, and Ogun for maintaining SERVICOM-compliant orientation camps that reflect the Scheme’s values of professionalism and responsiveness.
Responding to the recognition, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu expressed appreciation to the SERVICOM National Office for its objective assessment of the NYSC’s operations. He noted that the Scheme has embedded corps members more deeply into its orientation activities, thereby making the camp experience more inclusive, dynamic, and impactful.
The Director General further emphasized NYSC’s continuous advocacy for improved facilities in orientation camps, urging state governments to support the Scheme in providing modern and befitting camp infrastructure for the efficient training of corps members.
He pledged the Scheme’s readiness to deepen its partnership with SERVICOM to further enhance transparency and accountability in service delivery. Brigadier General Nafiu also called on corporate organizations and patriotic Nigerians to support the NYSC through their corporate social responsibility programmes.
“We promise to do better because NYSC is a highly professional organization,” General Nafiu stated.
The SERVICOM decoration of the Director General serves as a strong validation of NYSC’s unwavering commitment to operational excellence and its pivotal role in national development through youth mobilization and empowerment.
