The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, has praised Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, for fostering a peaceful and secure environment that continues to attract corps members to the state.
Brigadier General Nafiu made the commendation on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, during a courtesy visit to Governor Otti in his office in Umuahia, where he led a delegation of NYSC officials.
The NYSC Director General disclosed that 8,890 corps members are currently serving across Abia State, comprising 5,083 females and 3,805 males. According to him, the larger population of female corps members is a positive indicator of the level of peace and security in the state.
He explained that the NYSC management pays close attention to security conditions when deploying corps members, stressing that female corps members are generally not deployed to locations considered unsafe.
“To us in NYSC, especially at the management level, any State where you find more female corps members than male, it speaks to something, and that is that there is peace,” Nafiu said.
The NYSC DG further noted that corps members have been deployed to all 17 Local Government Areas of Abia, unlike some parts of the country where security challenges have restricted deployment to certain locations.
Nafiu also commended the Abia State Government for its ongoing rehabilitation of the NYSC Orientation Camp in Umunna, Bende Local Government Area. He particularly acknowledged the renovation of hostels and the multipurpose hall, as well as the installation of solar-powered streetlights.
According to him, the interventions demonstrate the Otti administration’s commitment to improving the welfare and working conditions of corps members serving in the state.
He equally appreciated the Governor for increasing the state’s allowance for corps members, describing the gesture as a development that has generated considerable excitement among NYSC members.
The NYSC boss also highlighted Abia’s growing attractiveness to medical corps members. He revealed that the state currently has 53 doctors, 53 pharmacists and 117 nurses serving in different locations, alongside other healthcare professionals.
Nafiu said the willingness of medical corps members to serve in Abia further reflects the state’s improving security and conducive environment. He expressed optimism that the second phase of work at the NYSC Orientation Camp would begin soon and match the quality of the first phase.
Responding to the NYSC delegation, Governor Alex Otti directed the immediate commencement of the second phase of renovation and infrastructure upgrades at the Orientation Camp in Umunna.
Governor Otti said the first phase of the rehabilitation programme had already recorded significant progress and confirmed that approval had been granted for the next phase.
“And I’m glad with the progress that we have made, though we are not there yet. So, work will start very soon. I already have approved it,” the Governor stated.
The Governor also expressed satisfaction with the number of NYSC healthcare professionals currently serving in Abia, noting that healthcare delivery remains one of the major priorities of his administration.
He explained that the state has rehabilitated about 200 primary healthcare centres, while another 77 were renovated through World Bank intervention. Of these facilities, 151 had been made functional as of Monday, with the remaining 49 prepared to commence operations.
Otti said the state requires qualified professionals to operate the facilities effectively and disclosed that the government initially sought to recruit 861 healthcare workers but secured only 605.
To address the shortfall, the Governor said he had directed the Civil Service Commission to re-advertise the vacancies and recruit additional personnel.
The Governor noted that the presence of more than 340 NYSC healthcare professionals in Abia could temporarily help bridge the manpower gap in the state’s healthcare system, even though corps members would eventually complete their one-year national service.
He therefore appealed to the NYSC management to consider deploying more healthcare professionals to Abia in subsequent batches, where possible.
Governor Otti reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to maintaining a strong partnership with the NYSC and ensuring that corps members deployed to Abia have a safe and supportive environment throughout their service year.
The Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sir Nwaobilor Ananaba, alongside other members of the Abia State Executive Council, attended the meeting.
The commendation by the NYSC leadership highlights the growing emphasis on security, youth development, healthcare manpower and improved infrastructure under the Abia State Government, while reinforcing the state’s position as a favourable destination for national service.
