The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Dr Dunona Umar has disclosed that the Ministry would render every necessary assistance towards the actualization of the proposed NYSC Trust Fund for the benefit of Corps Members.
He said the Scheme is a laudable programme that has engineered youth empowerment, job creation, socio-economic development and also strengthened national unity.
Dr Umar stated this when the Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General YD Ahmed paid him a visit on his appointment in his office in Abuja.
The Permanent Secretary, while commending General Ahmed on his giant strides of innovative strategies in NYSC since his assumption of duty said the Ministry would continue to engage the Scheme towards maintaining a robust collaboration with stakeholders on the training of Corps Members with the deployment of ICT.
“The youth needs encouragement. NYSC is a very interesting and laudable programme. We will continue to support NYSC to ensure that the Scheme foster national unity through its deployment policy”, the Permanent Secretary said.
He therefore urged the NYSC Management to use the database of all Ex-Corps Members as a social networking strategy for the benefit of the both parties.
Speaking earlier, the NYSC Director General, Brigadier General YD Ahmed congratulated Dr Umar on his appointment.
While briefing the Permanent Secretary on the activities, prospects and challenges of the Scheme, he said in it’s bid to reduce the increasing rate of unemployment among the youths in the country, the National Youth Service Corps has empowered more than Three Million (3,000,000) Corps Members through its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme which started in 2012.
He said his administration has also completed and equipped the NYSC Skill Acquisition Centre in Potiskum, Yobe State.
He added that the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development training Centres in Gombe, Jigawa, Ekiti and Delta States have also produced many Corps Entrepreneurs while work is at advanced stage on the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Enugu.
General Ahmed stated further that a total of Five Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty-One Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty One (5,981,781) Nigerian graduates have so far participated in the Scheme since inception.
“We have computerized our operations, especially the mobilization process, with the launch of the NYSC Online Integrated System in 2014.
We have also secured approval for the establishment of NYSC technical College in Gombe State. We will continue to be proactive”, DG said.
The Director General also said NYSC is into collaboration with Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations and International Agencies with the aim of fast-tracking national development in all sectors through; SDGs Advocacy, HIV/AIDS Awareness, Anti-Corruption Campaigns, Legal Aid, Road Safety among others.
He listed some of the recent achievements of the Scheme to include; resuscitation of NYSC bus shuttle services to cushion the effect of increase in prices of services, collaboration with stakeholders which resulted to donation of a 48-room Corps Lodge by Ikwerre Local Government Council of Rivers State, and also the construction of a Corps Lodge by a friend of the Scheme in Delta State among others.
