The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has appealed for public support towards the approval of the proposed NYSC Trust Fund as the Scheme marks its 53rd anniversary of nation-building.
Speaking at the News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja, Nafiu said the Trust Fund would enable the Scheme to expand its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme and empower Corps Members with start-up capital to establish businesses.
According to him, the proposed fund would strengthen the NYSC’s venture services, create employment opportunities for young graduates, and help reduce youth restiveness by engaging them in productive ventures capable of curbing idleness and social vices.
The NYSC Director-General noted that the Scheme has continued to fulfill its mandate of promoting national unity, cohesion, and socio-economic development since it was established 53 years ago by the administration of Yakubu Gowon.
He described the vision behind the establishment of the Scheme after the Nigerian Civil War as laudable, adding that the NYSC has over the years promoted national integration through inter-tribal marriages, cultural exchange, and the deployment of Corps Members outside their states of origin.
Nafiu said the Scheme has also evolved through technological innovations, including the introduction of electronic identity cards, digital record-keeping, online camp registration, and information dissemination through social media platforms.
He disclosed that the SAED initiative, introduced in 2012, was designed to strengthen the informal sector of the economy through Corps Members, adding that the Scheme recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan-Atlantic University.
According to him, over 500,000 Corps Members have registered their businesses with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
The DG further assured prospective Corps Members of Management’s commitment to ensuring seamless online registration, while noting that accommodation capacity remains a key factor in determining the number of Corps Members posted to orientation camps nationwide.
He said state governments were expected under the NYSC Act to provide and maintain conducive orientation camp facilities, adding that Enugu and Osun states are currently renovating their camps, while Lagos State is constructing a new orientation camp.
Nafiu also urged Student Affairs Officers in Corps-producing institutions to forward names of qualified graduates promptly to avoid delays in mobilization.
On security, he advised Corps Members to comply strictly with the Scheme’s travel advisories by avoiding night journeys, lone movements, and risky adventures, noting that the NYSC has partnered security agencies to ensure the safety of Corps Members travelling to orientation camps.
The NYSC boss added that all Corps Members are enrolled under the National Health Insurance Authority health package, which provides free medical treatment throughout the service year.
He explained that NYSC ventures, including farms, bread and water factories, garment factories, and other enterprise initiatives, not only provide vocational skills for Corps Members but also serve as sources of internally generated revenue for the Scheme.
Nafiu added that the NYSC has continued to sensitize Corps Members on the responsible use of social media by encouraging positive content that would not bring them into conflict with the law.
