L-R: Ekiti State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment, Mrs. Fola Richie-Adewusi; Wife of the State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; and a Corps member. Miss Esther Mene, during the governor's wife visit to the orientation camp to inspect vocational skill products made by the Batch 'B' Corps members, in Ise/Orun-Emure.
Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, has restated the need for corps members to acquire skills in handicraft and other blue-collar jobs to survive the current unfavourable economic indices.
She said this during her visit to the state’s National Youth Service Corps permanent orientation camp, Ise-Ekiti, in Ise/Emure Local
Government, on Tuesday. The governor’s wife also advised the females among the 2,480 Batch ‘B’ corps members at the camp to take advantage of their service year to get suitors among eligible bachelors in the state.
The First Lady had visited the camp to boost the morale of the fresh graduates and to inspect the handicraft finished products made by them during their orientation.
Among items on display were beads, clothing, batik, hat, finger foods, barbing and hairdressing equipment, paints, solar energy-powered oven and foot wear.
She said that the state government would continue to support corps members posted to the state to acquire vocational skills towards
becoming self-employed at the end of their service year. Given the poor state of the nation’s economy and the attendant high rate of unemployment, she said that smart graduates no longer hinged their hope on white-collar jobs.
She disclosed that the state government had put in place sustainable framework to support women and girls, in tandem with the Ekiti
Development Foundation (EDF), which she founded. Erelu Bisi Fayemi advised the corps members to live in peace and harmony with their host communities wherever they might be deployed for primary assignments.
The governor’s wife apprised the fresh graduates of the provisions of the Gender-based violence prohibition law operating in the state, which criminalises violence against women and girls, as well as men.
She urged the corps members to protect the vulnerable among them against harassment or sexual violation, which she said should be
reported to appropriate authorities wherever the acts were committed.
In his welcome remarks, the State Coordinator of the NYSC, Alhaji Baba Ahmed Nurudeen, expressed appreciation to the state government for enthroning an environment that was conducive for the visitors.
Ahmed, who was represented by the NYSC Resident Officer I, Mr Fasina Adedotun, said the visit by the governor’s wife would serve as morale booster for the corps members as they depart the camp on Monday for their primary places of assignment.
He commended the state government for supporting the skill acquisition programme in the camp and requested for further assistance in the area of raw materials provision.
Last modified: July 18, 2012
