Youths of Ogada com
munity in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State have threatened to shut down all orientation formalities in the Obubra orientation camp if the Federal Government fails to hid their clarion call of providing job opportunities for them by the next camping period.
Youth Chairman, Ebenezer Okere (Jnr.), and Secretary, Monday Irek, who handed down the threat during a press briefing at the NUJ Press Centre in Calabar complained that though the NYSC permanent orientation camp is cited in their area, “for the past 21years of its existence, the host community has nothing to show in terms of employment or any social amenity.”
The group which goes under the aegis, Ogada Youth Development Association, said it has made several appeals in letters to the Director General, NYSC in Abuja, demanding a quota for employment for the youths, “to compensate for the lost land given to the Federal Government without financial consideration fell on deaf ears.”
The association recalled that in 2012, the youths had barricaded the road to the NYSC camp in protest for the marginalisation disclosing that it was the then chairman of the council, Rev. Christopher Obase and the Cross River State NYSC Coordinator, Engr. Ekereke Ibangha that dissuaded them from blocking the roads and wait until embargo for employment is lifted.
“It is sad that upon the lifting of embargo for employment, we discovered that employment for junior cadre was concluded without any chance given to the host community,” they lamented.
The youths said as peace loving and law-abiding citizens, they have, in consultation with opinion leaders of the area, resolved that the Federal Government, through the Director General of the NYSC, “should as a matter of urgency, reach an agreement with the community over a quota of employment for the youths,”they added.
