NYSC inaugurates selection committee for president’s awards

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has inaugurated a 13-member reconstituted selection committee for the president’s national honours award.

The NYSC presidential honours is an award designed to reward excellence among young Nigerians who are outstanding during the mandatory service year via community development service (CDS) and other programmes of the scheme.

Speaking during the inauguration of the committee in Abuja on Tuesday, Yusha’u Ahmed, the director general (DG) of NYSC, charged the members to sustain high standards during the selection of the awardees.

“The award is to serve as motivation for hard work and reward for excellence among the Corps Members,” the NYSC DG said.

“Since its commencement, 1,426 Ex-Corps Members have so far received the award, which is usually conferred by the President.

“The best of the NYSC state honours award winners are nominated for consideration for the Presidential award. Therefore, the final winners from the state nominees precede every successful president’s honours award ceremony.”

Omotade Folorunso, director for corps welfare and health services, said the committee will deal with the backlog of arrears occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted normal NYSC operations in 2020 and most of 2021.

“Our assignment would be the consideration and selection of nominees from 2020 Batches ‘A’ and ‘B’, 2021 Batches ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’, and 2022 Batches ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ service years,” Folorunso said.