Corps members serving in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have identified high transportation costs, accommodation difficulties and rising feeding expenses as major challenges affecting their service year.
The corps members made the observations in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja, while reflecting on their experiences under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
Miss Grace David said the high cost of transportation in Abuja consumed a significant portion of her monthly allowance.
“The allowances paid by the government and my place of primary assignment are not enough to cover transportation, feeding and accommodation expenses,” she said.
Similarly, Miss Dorathy Samuel said she spent about N3,000 daily commuting between her residence and place of assignment.
“Transportation has really affected my service year because I spend almost all my money on transport and have little or nothing left at the end of the month,” she said.
Samuel appealed to the government to increase corps members’ allowances to enable them cope with the rising cost of living.
Miss Esther Ekwe also acknowledged that many corps members were facing accommodation and transportation challenges during their service year.
In-spite of the difficulties, the corps members described the NYSC scheme as a valuable platform for cultural integration, professional growth and personal development.
Ekwe said the scheme had enabled her to interact with people from different parts of the country and learn about their cultures and ways of life.
“Meeting new people and learning their ways of life has exposed me to the culture of other Nigerians,” she said.
She added that serving in Abuja had positively impacted her photography career through exposure to experienced professionals.
“In spite of coping with accommodation and transportation challenges, being in the midst of highly experienced people in the photography profession is a boost to my job.
“I have learnt more in both video and photo editing,” Ekwe said.
David on her part said serving in the FCT had given her the opportunity to interact with people from diverse backgrounds, particularly at her place of primary assignment.
She said the scheme has helped to improve her teaching skills, overcome stage fright and communicate more effectively with children.
On her part, Samuel said she was pleased to be posted to Abuja because of the opportunities available in the territory.
She commended the city’s road network and the opportunity to meet and interact with different categories of people.
According to her, the service year has improved her organisational and communication skills.
“It has helped me to understand office organization and how to relate with people professionally,” she said.
