Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has charged serving Corps members posted to serve in the state to regard service as a seed.
Otti gave the charge at the opening/swearing in ceremony of the NYSC2026 Batch A Stream 1 at the NYSC permanent camp, Umunna Bende LGA.
Otti in his address noted titled, ‘Great destinies manifest through service — the disposition to readily offer a helping hand without expectation of reward,’ said that service, as history has shown repeatedly, is the foundation of leadership for no one can genuinely lead without the willingness and empathy to serve.
“Ultimately, enduring life rewards are built through years of faithful and diligent service. This morning, we have gathered from different parts of the country to begin what promises to be an interesting journey in the service of our fatherland. Many may have arrived with a certain mindset, a bias and emotions of uncertainty about what the next 12 months have in store for them but as my opening statement suggested, you will be short-changing yourself if you fail to make the most of the opportunity,†Otti advised.
He stated that opportunities that the National Youth Service programme offers were enormous.
“You are certainly at the right place; so, refuse to entertain any fear from any quarters. The true essence of the programme is to expose you to the great promise that Nigeria holds using the vehicle of service. So, wherever you find yourself, all that is expected of you is to serve with devotion and genuine sense of patriotism. It does not matter where you are posted, school, medical facility, judiciary or an administrative office, you will only have one job at any of these places which is to perform your duties with diligence and contribute robustly to the holistic development of our state,†Otti said.
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He thanked the members and heartily welcome them to Abia as they began the 2026.
“On this note distinguished ladies and gentlemen, may I heartily welcome you to Abia as you begin the 2026 Batch A Stream 1 orientation programme here in Umunna.
“Thank you for accepting to serve and for coming with great anticipation. One thing I can immediately assure you is that we shall do everything within our powers to make your time in the state worthwhile. It is also our expectation that many of you will stay back at the end of your service year to build successful careers, businesses and marriages.
“We are building a state that can attract and retain the best talents because for us, the true wealth of any society is in the quality of its human capital. The evidence of our aspiration is in the generous investments committed to the development of quality social infrastructure network in different parts of the state over the last 32 months. We are building systems that can adequately cater to the tastes and appetites of young professionals, dreamers and upwardly mobile individuals and families,†he said.
He said that Abia had a long history of recognising excellence and rewarding those who excel, irrespective of their states, religion or ethnic background.
He equally informed them that the current Head of Service, Benson Ojeikere, and several others within the civil service are excellent ambassadors of this practice.
“It ultimately follows that our eyes shall be on you in the places where you shall be posted to and those who are able to acquit themselves creditably will get automatic employment in the relevant public sector establishments,†he stated.
According to him, “One philosophy that sets us apart in Abia is that we are only interested in your capacity to add value and function effectively in the stations where you are deployed, not where your grandparents originally hailed from. The ball is squarely in your court; so, I will encourage you to work diligently to leave a lasting impression on the minds and hearts of the people you are going to encounter, starting from this orientation camp and when eventually you are posted to your places of primary assignment.â€
