The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General O.O Nafiu, has commended the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for its forward-thinking initiatives aimed at empowering corps members through innovation and digital skills development.
Speaking at the commissioning of the NITDA Innovation Space in Abuja, the NYSC DG expressed admiration for the ingenuity and performance of corps members who showcased tech-driven solutions during the event.
“I am highly impressed by what I have seen here today,” he said. “The corps members have demonstrated that they are not just participants in the scheme but active contributors to national development through innovation.”
He described the Idea2Impact Programme as a viable initiative that transforms early-stage ideas into practical, market-ready solutions, noting that it provides young Nigerians with opportunities to co-create solutions to real societal challenges.
Brigadier General Nafiu also used the occasion to reaffirm the relevance of the NYSC scheme, countering claims that it has outlived its usefulness.
“When people say the scheme is no longer relevant, they are not looking at the bigger picture. What we are seeing here today proves that NYSC remains a critical platform for youth development and national growth,” he stated.
Highlighting ongoing reforms within the scheme, he disclosed that the NYSC has begun digitising its identity card system. According to him, corps members can now access their ID cards electronically via mobile devices, reducing reliance on physical copies.
He further noted that innovative solutions presented at the event particularly those focused on verification and data management aligned with challenges the NYSC has been working to address. He called for collaboration between NITDA and NYSC technical teams to refine and integrate such solutions into the scheme’s operations.
“I will request that we work together to fuse these ideas into something more robust that will serve the intended purpose better,” he said.
The NYSC DG also challenged government agencies, ministries, and private organisations to rethink how they engage corps members, urged them to go beyond routine deployment and create structured programmes that harness their skills.
“We do not post corps members just to serve; we expect organisations to provide opportunities that add value to them and enable them to contribute meaningfully to society,” he added.
He praised NITDA for consistently accommodating and developing corps members, noting that the agency hosts an average of 700 corps members annually and provides them with an enabling environment to grow.
Brigadier General Nafiu concluded by expressing optimism about future collaborations, including the possibility of establishing innovation hubs within the NYSC to further nurture young talents across the country.
