Cross River Govt Reaffirms Commitment to Obubra NYSC Camp, Says Akamkpa Relocation Temporary

 

The Cross River State Government has assured residents that the relocation of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mandatory orientation camp to the University of Education and Entrepreneurship, Akamkpa, is temporary, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the permanent camp in Obubra.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Utilities Engr. Assoc. Prof. Jerome Egbe KSM, while speaking on the development, disclosed that Governor Prince Bassey Edet Otu is doing everything humanly possible to rehabilitate the Obubra NYSC camp and restore it to a suitable condition for the accommodation and training of corps members.

He stressed that the state government has no intention of permanently relocating the camp from Obubra, noting that the decision to use the University of Education and Entrepreneurship, Akamkpa, as a temporary facility was necessitated by the poor condition of the existing camp.

According to him, the government, under the leadership of Governor Otu, is determined to ensure that Cross River State does not miss out on hosting corps members for the current NYSC orientation exercise because of the challenges confronting the Obubra facility.

He explained that the government had appealed to the NYSC authorities to approve the use of the Akamkpa institution as temporary accommodation for the current Stream II orientation exercise while efforts continue to address the challenges at the permanent camp.

The Special Adviser noted that the decision was taken in the best interest of the state and the corps members, adding that providing a temporary alternative was necessary to sustain the state's participation in the national service programme while the Obubra camp undergoes the required intervention.

He urged Cross Riverians to trust the judgment of the state government and give the administration their maximum support, particularly at a time when difficult but necessary decisions are being made in the interest of the state.

He further appealed to the public to understand that the temporary arrangement should not be misconstrued as an attempt to permanently move the NYSC camp away from Obubra.

The government, he maintained, remains committed to ensuring that the Obubra camp is restored to an acceptable standard, paving the way for the return of future orientation exercises to the permanent facility.