Osinbajo urges corps members to be agents of positive change

• FG to release N40b ecological fund to 19 states, FCT
• Moves to close down five foreign missions

The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has urged corps members under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to join the Federal Government’s ‘Change begins with me’ programme with the aim of restoring national values and upholding all that is right.

Osinbajo stated this yesterday during the administration of oath of allegiance on 1,600 corps members posted to Bayelsa State for the 2017 Batch ‘A’ Stream 1 exercise under the NYSC programme.

The Acting President, who commended the corps members for their roles in national assignments such as elections, census and national health programmes, said through their services, they have demonstrated what young people in the country can do when they are given the opportunity and challenged.

Osinbajo, whose message was read by the representative of the Bayelsa State governor and the Secretary to the State Government, David Serena Dokubo-Spiff, charged the corps members to uphold the ideals of the scheme.

The Bayelsa State NYSC Co-ordinator, Mrs. Bolade Omolayo, said the camp management had put in place, all necessary measures to ensure a hitch-free orientation programme.

She, therefore, called for co-operation of the camp community towards a successful exercise. Meanwhile, the Federal Government yesterday said that it had identified five foreign missions that would be shut down.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, who spoke while listing some of the achievements of the current administration in the last two years, however, did not disclose the affected embassies, but held that process towards their closure has commenced.

He, however, stated that the final move would be subject to the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari.

In another development, indication has emerged that the Federal Government plans to disburse N40 billion from the ecological funds to 19 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The government said decision on the release of the sum would be finalised during the meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) next month.
Yesterday’s council meeting was presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

Seventeen of the states to benefit from the fund are led by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, said this while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of NEC meeting yesterday.

He said former President Goodluck favoured only the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled states in the distribution of the fund during his tenure and paid them N2 billion each, leaving other states.

The states that were left out but which will now benefit from the disbursement of the same amount include Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Kwara, Lagos and Nasarawa.

Others were Niger, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara and the FCT. However, the Council lauded the leadership qualities of the Acting President, Prof. Osinbajo, describing him as the “system stabiliser.”