See the New Model NYSC Camp Abuja
The sorry state of our National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camps has been an source of concern to corps members and the NYSC administration itself. This is especially worse in states where they camps are on temporary sites which were not designed for camping. Also, the skyrocketing number of corps members camping at these locations has worsened the situation. Tales of infrastructural deficiencies and overstretched facilities abound everywhere.
This is about to change. Last year, President Goodluck Jonathan directed the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration to build a model NYSC Camp for the FCT in Kwali that would be a benchmark for other Orientation Camps around the country in terms of meeting the conditions for the exercise as stipulated in the NYSC Act 2004.
This prompted the administration of the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) to organise an architectural design competition to develop this model
The current NYSC Orientation Camp, Kubwa Abuja, is a temporary facility, initially built as a resettlement camp for Gbagyi natives, but it was later converted to an Orientation Camp for the NYSC when the Federal Government moved its seat to Abuja in 1991.
The permanent Orientation Camp is to be sited at Kwali, on a 50 Hectare plot of land located about 3-4 Km off the Abuja-Lokoja Road at Sheda Karami Village.
The competition offered varying approaches and ideas to realise the most suitable design for the project. That honour would go to the winning entry from Globarch Associates.
A contemporary, ecological campus with a design aesthetic that is not the norm in the Nigerian landscape. It features some very interesting forms and compositions as well as one of my personal
Heres a look at the winning entry.
Obviously, when the permanent NYSC Camp Abuja is built it will be world class. This will be an eye-opener to other state governors to build befitting permanent camps for their respective states. What do you think of the model?
