The NYSC Management has presented one hundred and forty nominees for the 2016 Presidential Honours Award with an assurance that eventual winners will emerge strictly on merit.

The Director-General, Brigadier General Sulaiman Kazaure, gave the assurance at the opening ceremony of the meeting of the 2016 President’s NYSC Award Selection Committee in Abuja.

Also Read: NYSC BAGS BEST MDA AWARD ON INNOVATIVE DEPLOYMENT IN ICT

Kazaure, who stressed that the selection process had, over the years, been devoid of ethnic, religious and gender bias, expressed confidence that the committee’s members, as administrators with proven track record of integrity, would help to sustain the credibility of the process.

“We are confident that once again, you will ensure fairness and justice in this process by adhering strictly to the criteria, which include exemplary performance by Corps members in the four cardinal programmes of the Scheme,” he said.

Explaining the guidelines, he said Corps members who have requested for relocation, concessional deployment, served in their states of origin or utilized personal or family funds for execution of community development project are disqualified from consideration for the award.

Responding, the Chairman of the Committee Dr. Ihenetu Kevin thanked the NYSC Management for the confidence reposed in the members, and went on to assure that they would handle the task with all sense of diligence, patriotism and objectivity.

“We shall be thorough and shall at the end produce a valid, credible, commendable and acceptable result that will delight every stakeholder,” he added.

Also Read: ZAMFARA EARMARKS 38M FOR CAMP RENOVATION

Earlier in her welcome address, the Director of Corps Welfare and Inspectorate Department of the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, Mrs. Victoria Okakwu, explained that the selection of Corps members for the President’s Honours Award take place at the local government, state and national level.

She added that the best two in each state were selected by the NYSC State Governing Board and forwarded to the NYSC Headquarters for further screening and presentation to the National Selection Committee.

Members of the committee are drawn from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police, Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre and the all Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools.

Others include representatives of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Federal Universities, Committee of Rectors of Polytechnics, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, National Council of Women Societies, and two retired NYSC Directors while the Director of Corps Welfare and Inspectorate serves as secretary.