Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has pledged to improve facilities at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in the state and called for increased deployment of doctors, nurses and teachers to address critical manpower shortages, particularly in rural communities.
Governor Radda made the commitment on Wednesday when the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Katsina.
The governor said his administration would examine the renovation of hostel facilities at the NYSC orientation camp and directed the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development to make appropriate budgetary provisions to address some of the challenges identified by the NYSC leadership.
“I will definitely look at the renovation of the hostels, especially where these Corps Members are staying. I want to assure you that we will continue to partner together. I will continue to support the service as much as we can,” Radda said.
He also promised to review the state’s existing support and allowances for Corps Members to identify areas requiring additional intervention.
The governor appealed to the NYSC leadership to give greater consideration to Katsina’s peculiar manpower needs when deploying Corps Members.
He particularly requested increased deployment of medical doctors and teachers of English, Mathematics and Science to the state, especially rural communities where shortages remain acute.
“I also want to appeal to you to look at the challenges we have in the state, especially the medical doctors. They are not supposed to go where they want; they should go where they are needed,” he said.
Radda noted that despite the recent recruitment of more than 10,000 teachers by the state government, the number remained insufficient to meet the state’s educational needs.
He commended Corps Members for complementing government efforts in education and healthcare, recalling that during his tenure as a local government chairman, Corps Members contributed to the operation of a mobile clinic that provided medical services to rural communities.
According to him, their contribution to rural education has equally remained significant.
Earlier, Brigadier General Nafiu commended the Katsina State Government and residents for providing a peaceful and hospitable environment for Corps Members.
He said security was critical to NYSC operations and that the relative peace in Katsina enabled the scheme to deploy Corps Members to communities across the state with confidence.
“Because Katsina is peaceful and conducive for orientation activities and deployment of Corps Members to the nooks and crannies of Katsina State, we are able to send them to this state and go to sleep without panic,” he said.
The NYSC DG described the relationship between the scheme and host states as mutually beneficial, noting that Corps Members help address shortages of professionals such as doctors, nurses and teachers.
“We are not parasitic. This is a symbiotic relationship,” he said, adding that Corps Members were more likely to serve in areas where they felt secure and adequately supported.
Nafiu also praised the hospitality of Katsina residents, saying some Corps Members approaching the end of their service on September 3 were already reluctant to leave the state.
“Katsina is home to everyone,” he said.
The NYSC DG disclosed that the scheme, which commenced in 1973 with 2,364 graduates, now mobilises more than 400,000 graduates for national service annually.
He said the budget for mobilisation in 2026 provides for about 450,000 graduates, while Nigerian universities, polytechnics and monotechnics are projected to produce approximately 650,000 graduates during the year.
Nafiu also noted a significant shift in the gender composition of graduates, saying female graduates have outnumbered males since 2021, a development he partly attributed to educational policies and gender mainstreaming.
He appealed to Governor Radda to consider introducing or reviewing state allowances for Corps Members as an additional incentive.
The NYSC chief thanked the state government for augmenting the feeding of Corps Members and urged it to sustain the support. He also disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved an increase in the Federal Government’s feeding provision for Corps Members from 2027.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Governor Faruk Lawal Jobe, Principal Private Secretary Abdullahi Aliyu Turaji, Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development Engr. Surajo Yazeed Abukur, members of the State Executive Council, the NYSC State Coordinator and other officials.
