The Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Hon.Dr. Gift Worlu, has paid a working visit to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp in Nonwa, Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The visit, which was marked by a colourful guard of honour mounted by corps members, was received with great excitement.
In his address, Hon. Dr Gift Worlu expressed his deep appreciation for the warm reception accorded him and his entourage by the Corp members. “Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you today full of joy. I want to appreciate God Almighty and I also want to appreciate all of you for the warm reception accorded to us. I spoke with your Camp Commandant two days ago and I told him I would be here to identify with you in a bid to encourage you. There are a lot of opportunities in our country, yet there are a lot of problems, but they are problems we can solve with understanding and cooperation,” he said.
The Obio/Akpor Chairman, who recalled his personal NYSC experience at the Kubwa Camp in Abuja about 25 years ago, noted that the honour accorded him by the guard of honour was deeply humbling.
“I believe you know why NYSC was created. One of the reasons why the NYSC was created is for you, as a Nigerian, to understand your country and also to forget about the negative stories you may have heard about different part of the country and unity. In every part of Nigeria, corps members should see themselves as brothers and sisters and not discriminate against anyone,” he added.
Dr. Gift Worlu welcomed the corps members on behalf of the Government of Rivers State and the people of Obio/Akpor, urging them to prepare themselves for the future and distinguish themselves wherever they find themselves.
He shared a personal story of how a corps member changed the course of his life: “When I was in Primary 5, I could not distinguish between small letters and capital letters, let alone spell English words. I could not make a sentence; in other words, I was blank. But then, a certain corps member was posted to Rivers State and lived in my father’s compound. I used to help him with chores like fetching water. He discovered I could not communicate properly and took it upon himself to teach me. After school, he would go through my lesson notes with me.
That was how I began to understand that there is a capital letter ‘A’ and a small letter a ’, reading from A to Z, joining letters to form words, three and four-letter words, sentences, phrases, clauses, adjectives, pronouns and so on. That foundation helped me through secondary school, university, and eventually I excelled. I also became a student leader. This is the power of what a single corps member can do in shaping lives.”
The Chairman further emphasised that Nigeria’s challenges can only be solved by Nigerians themselves. “Let me tell you, Nigeria happened to me. We cannot call people from Singapore or America to solve our problems. It is you and I who can solve them. Many Nigerians have been told lies that nothing good can come out of Nigeria. That is not true. Something good can come out of Nigeria.
We have been told that Yoruba people are bad, Igbo people are bad, Hausa people are bad—then who is good? The truth is that there is no country where everybody is bad, and there is no country where everybody is good. You decide if you want to be good or bad,” he stated.
In a gesture of support, Hon.Dr. Gift Worlu donated 100 bags of rice to the NYSC Orientation Camp, an announcement that was greeted with thunderous cheers from the corps members.
Earlier speaking, the Rivers State Coordinator of the NYSC, Mr Moses Oleghe, welcomed the Obio/Akpor Council Chairman and commended his generosity and words of encouragement.
“Chairman, we sincerely appreciate your visit to the NYSC Orientation Camp. Your presence here today has greatly inspired our corps members. These are Batch B Stream II corps members, and I can assure you that your story and your kind words will motivate them to give their best wherever they are posted.
He assured the Chairman that the corps members would continue to uphold the objectives of the NYSC scheme by promoting unity, service, and development across the country.
In a vote of thanks, a Batch B Stream II corps member, Miss Didia Shulamite, expressed appreciation on behalf of the corps members.
“On behalf of my fellow corps members, I want to sincerely thank the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Hon.Dr. Gift Worlu, for honouring us with his presence today. Sir, your story is a great inspiration to us. You have reminded us that service to humanity is the highest calling, and that we, as corps members, can make a difference wherever we are posted.
We also appreciate your generous donation of 100 bags of rice, which will put smiles on our faces and make our stay in camp more memorable. We pray that God Almighty will continue to bless you, grant you wisdom and strength as you lead the good people of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.”
Signed:
Office of the Chairman, Obio/Akpor LGA
2nd October, 2025
