When he put a call across to Daily Independent, he sounded like a bank executive or someone in a marketing company seeking publicity for a job well done. After several appointments that failed, Mr. Odundare Vincent Babatunde, a youth corps member, met yours truly.

The 29-year-old Accounting graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, in Ogun State, has built and completed a post office for Umuchukwu community, formerly Nkerehi, in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

On that day, the community was agog over the contribution of a corps member to a town very far away and tribally distinct from his home state, Oyo.

The monarch of Umuchukwu community, Igwe Michael N. Ukaegbu, commended the corps member for his contribution towards the development of the community.

"Now, I want to categorically say without reservation that for the past 10 months, our community has been appreciating the positive impacts of the NYSC in community and national development agenda. The activities of our dear corps member, Ogundare Vincent Babatunde, in our community life have given us empirical understanding and appreciation of the noble cause of the NYSC in the grassroots strategy of building national unity, which strengthens national development.

"Ogundare Vincent Babatunde demonstrates a vivid understanding of the progressive tools in the local terrain that could engineer rapid community development, by developing human capacities of his latent innate ability. He pursed a strategy for strengthening information and communication for development.

"His initiative has brought about a post office, and construction of the post office as his personal community development project in our community. He cultivated two plots of land for crop production (maize and cassava) for the Students of Immaculate Conception International College, Umuchukwu. I have never seen anybody like him," the monarch said.

Also speaking, Secretary to the Igwe's cabinet, Chief Jude Onyekpudoro, stated that, "His performance speaks volume and deserves encomiums from all, which will outlive him. All of us including the Igwe of the community wish he would stay with us to continue the good work he has started. He is disciplined, industrious, diligent, amiable to all, focused, result-oriented and a goal-getter. He succeeded in constructing a gigantic Umuchukwu Post Office within 25 days.

"Ogundare Babatunde also succeeded in instilling a sense of discipline, academic pride and dignity of labour in our school (Immaculate Conception International College), Umuchukwu."

Orumba South Local Government Council in a letter of commendation recommended him for the state government's National Youth Service Corps Award.

"He did his primary assignment at a secondary school in Umuchukwu community and within this period of his primary assignment, he initiated, embarked on and completed the Umuchukwu Post Office project, among others.

"His relationship with the students, teachers, Umuchukwu community and staff of Orumba South Local Government Council in general, in fact, is beyond our expectation, his tribal origin notwithstanding.

"Based on his wonderful performance, both in his primary assignment, personal community development services and as a promising figure for national integration and development, we recommend him for the NYSC national and state governments award," he said.

Joining in praises for Babatunde, President General of Umuchukwu Progressive Union (UPU), Mr. Peter Ibezimuzor, said: "Today, it has become necessary to call to mind the assertion of one of the greatest philosophers of our time, Bertrand Russell, who said, 'the circumstances of men's life determine their philosophies, just like their philosophies determine the circumstances of their life. A little trek within this community will educate all present that the think home philosophy of one man has done a lot to renew the face of this community, which was once marked for redundancy in the cradle of civilisation. We believed the corps member, who conceived the idea of a Post Office to serve the entire community and environs, must be a man whose large heart and philosophy will hatch the egg of dream to reality. Ideas rule the world, and this is apparent today in the course of this event. And for our illustrious son, Dr. Maduka, development is a continuous process for this community and environs, when we see its philosophy as a necessity.