The Imo State National Youth Service Corps, NYSC Orientation Camp formerly in Umudi has been moved to Eziama Obaire Community in Nkwerre Local Government Area which is where the Chief Uche Nwosu, Chief of Staff to the governor and the governor’s son-in-law hails.
Speaking to newsmen while supervising work on the new site, the former T.C Chairman of Nkwerre Local Government, Hon.Gab. Anowai stated that the national directorate of the NYSC after a visitation to the Umudi Camp averred that its present status including lack of perimeter fencing cannot guarantee the safety of corpers and the camp officials under the prevailing security threats in the country arising from insurgency, cult, kidnapping, armed robbery and other nefarious activities of hoodlums.
He said the NYSC directorate thereafter gave ultimatum to the State government to find alternative location for the camp or face complete closure of the NYSC operations in the state which led the government to commence search for a suitable temporary location.
Hon. Anowai disclosed that the NYSC directorate rejected three different locations shown to them in various parts of the state adding that the situation was becoming hopeless before someone suggested the Eziama Obaire location which the NYSC national directorate approved after the visitation of their high powered inspectorate team.
Responding to a question on the alleged role played by the Chief of Staff, Chief Uche Nwosu on the matter, Hon. Anowai stated that Chief Nwosu was away in overseas on official duty when the NYSC camp issue broke out and only arrived at the end of the final resolution of the matter, adding that kudos should be given to the NYSC officials and others who contributed in ensuring that the orientation camp did not leave the shores of Nkwerre L.G.A especially Gov. Rochas Okorocha who he said graciously gave his consent.
The former Nkwerre L.G boss further said that he was not competent to speak on the status of the new NYSC orientation camp at Eziama Obaire but agreed that the relocation would ‘afford the State government the necessary time to complete construction work on the needed facilities at the permanent NYSC Orientation Camp for which he said land had already been acquired in Umudi.
It was gathered that the relocation of the NYSC camp from Umudi to Eziama Obaire had generated tension and became topical issue of discuss at many gatherings in Nkwerre LGA culminating in the summoning of Nkwerre LGA Stakeholders meeting by the new Nkwerre T.C Chairman, Barr. Paschal Onwukaike, which appeared to have gone a long way to douse the built up tension. It was also gathered that the protracted ownership dispute over the government acquired land by Umudi and Ishiala Umudi communities which had been a subject of court litigations may have contributed to the delay in the realization of the NYSC permanent orientation camp project.
