The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has partnered with the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) to train corps members in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) retrofitting as part of efforts to expand skills acquisition opportunities for Nigerian youths.
The collaboration was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja, aimed at integrating CNG retrofitting training into the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme.
Speaking at the event, the Director General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, said the scheme already possesses the infrastructure and nationwide reach needed to support large-scale vocational training for corps members.
According to him, the NYSC facilitates in-camp SAED training for more than 300,000 corps members annually, while about 1.5 million corps members have participated in post-camp vocational training programmes since the establishment of SAED in 2012.
Nafiu stated that the partnership with NADDC would strengthen the scheme’s capacity to equip corps members with practical and marketable skills before the completion of their service year.
He commended the Minister for Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande; the Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi; and the leadership of NADDC for supporting the initiative.
“For over five decades, the NYSC has been mobilising Nigerian graduates in support of unity and development. In response to the growing rate of unemployment, we launched the NYSC SAED programme in 2012 because service with skills leaves corps members better equipped,” Nafiu said.
He added that the NYSC would provide orientation camps, training venues and administrative support to ensure the success of the programme nationwide.
The NYSC DG also expressed optimism that the initiative would produce certified CNG technicians capable of supporting Nigeria’s energy transition drive.
In his remarks, the Director General of NADDC, Otunba Joseph Osanipin, said the council remained committed to delivering a high-quality training curriculum under the three-year agreement.
He explained that the programme would target corps members with engineering backgrounds and prepare them to become professionally certified and enterprise-ready CNG technicians.
“Through this partnership, NADDC will deploy its full technical capacity to design and deliver a CNG retrofitting curriculum of the highest professional standard,” Osanipin said.
Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi, said the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s energy transition agenda while creating opportunities for youth empowerment and employment.
Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, said the collaboration between NYSC and NADDC could generate up to 5,000 jobs for Nigerian youths.
He urged young Nigerians to take advantage of the initiative to acquire practical skills that would enable them to become self-reliant and employers of labour.
Olawande also noted that the Federal Government had intensified the promotion of CNG adoption over the past three years, stressing that Nigerian youths must be equipped to take advantage of the opportunities in the sector.
“I am very happy that the NADDC will fully fund this programme for three years, while the NYSC will provide its SAED platform for the training,” he said.
The minister further stressed that the training must maintain high practical standards and provide participants with sustainable career opportunities beyond their service year.
