NYSC, most critical, strategic among our stakeholders —Ondo INEC Boss

The Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ondo State, Barrister Oluwatoyin Babalola has disclosed that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme remains the most critical and strategic among its stakeholders.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner made the statement when she played host to the new NYSC Ondo State Coordinator, Mr. Samuel Amaramiro Pepple at the INEC State Office in Akure.

Barrister Babalola who asserted that the noble Scheme has been supplying dedicated, disciplined and committed members of the service corps for the execution of elections in the state said that it was an incontrovertible fact that NYSC has array of mobile and intelligent graduate youths who are versatile in the use of information technology, which she confirmed as a plus to the electoral body.

"The State Coordinator, I want to congratulate you on your well deserved appointment as the new NYSC boss in the Sunshine State. I want to pray that as your predecessors succeeded, you will equally succeed in this challenging task. Meanwhile, I want to say that I had useful deliberations with your immediate predecessor and I strongly believe that we shall build on the synergy already established".

"NYSC has been a formidable and dependable ally to INEC because of the quality of corps members and staff that are continually released to the electoral body to serve as ad-hoc staff and I want to say that INEC is impressed with the conduct of the personnel, especially the corps members".

The INEC boss gave the assurance that the electoral umpire will continue to provide adequate security and appreciable welfare in line with the modern day reality to those that would be engaged.

"I am not unaware that in line with memorandum of understanding (MOU) which the INEC entered into with the National Youth Service Corps in which coincidentally I was involved in drafting and perfection of the working document, the Scheme has made it position known about security and welfare of the corps members and I want to inform you that the status quo is maintained to the letter".

On the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State, the REC said that her office would as matter of policy collaborate with relevant departments in NYSC to have mutual agreement and thrash out grey areas so as to maintain sound relationship between the two Federal Government agencies.

Speaking earlier on his mission, the NYSC Ondo State Coordinator, Mr. Samuel Amaramiro Pepple said that he has come to visit the INEC State Office and rub minds with the management so that there would not be any lacuna of any sort.

The State Coordinator while thanking his host for accepting to see him despite her crowded schedules reiterated the non negotiable stand of the NYSC management on corps members' security and welfare during training and election duties.

"The Honourable Resident Electoral Commissioner, I am happy for the express audience you have granted me today but the main reason is to leverage the already established relationship we have and to reiterate the stand of NYSC about the security and welfare of both the corps members and NYSC staff that would be engaged as ad-hoc staff of the Commission".

The NYSC boss in Ondo State, while pledging to do the best to sustain the synergy between the two agencies thanked the Commission for the sustained interest in the members of the service corps.

"We are birthed by the same government and it is imperative to say that we shall be relating from time to time so that the mandate of the Commission will be successfully accomplished while from our end, we shall continue to do our best in the interest of national development".