Jonathan offers automatic employment to 167 youths

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has offered automatic employment to 164 former members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) for distinguishing themselves in their service to their fatherland. Besides, he granted automatic Federal Government scholarship for those who might wish to further their studies up to doctoral degree level.

    The president, who announced the gestures at the combined honours for the 2012, 2013 and 2014 President’s award winners of the scheme at the State House, Abuja said they were aimed at boosting the morale of the both serving their fatherland and prospective corps members.

     The 164 winners, according to the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig-Gen. Johnson Bamidele Olawumi, were selected from the 613 nominations which were received from across the country within the period under review. 

A breakdown of the figure shows that 55 won in 2012; 52 corps members for 2013 service year while a total of 57 corps members won the award for the 2014 service year. Jonathan described the feat as marking a crowning point in the year-long activities of the NYSC and corps members in the service to our fatherland. 

    Highlights of the event was the endorsement of the Hope Alive, a private initiative aimed at providing succor to injured members of the NYSC. For a start, nine injured members have been penciled down as the first set of beneficiaries.

    Under the scheme, about N23.5 million has been realised. This include N5 million donated by the Managing Director of Ibeto Group of Companies; another N5 million from the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Obong Godswill Akpabio to the nine injured and N1.5 million each to the nine injured corps members as donations by the Heritage Bank.

   According to Jonathan, the conferment of the president’s NYSC Honours Award on these worthy young men and women, who have diligently served the nation is an important moment in youth motivation. It is designed to highlight and promote the creative and innovative contribution of our youths, focused towards building a strong, virile, vibrant, united and prosperous Nigeria.

 He noted that since its inception over 41 years ago, the NYSC scheme has continued to play a significant role in actualising Nigeria’s quest for a united nation. In addition, it is also complementing vital manpower requirements in education, health, infrastructure development, entrepreneurship and critical skills.

   The president lauded managers and successive batches of corps members for the patriotic zeal with which they have sustained the cardinal programmes of the scheme, since inception. “Above all, I salute the founding fathers of the NYSC whose ideals have not only continued to inspire successes of the noble scheme, but also remained relevant in the developmental efforts of our great nation. 

   “The giant strides recorded by the scheme through its community development projects have greatly contributed to improved living standards of our rural dwellers in all sectors. I urge states and local governments to offer accelerated assistance to the NYSC on programmes of community and rural development and with special emphasis on agriculture.”

     He re-iterated his administration’s abiding faith and confidence in the ability of the corps members and, indeed, the entire youths to sustain the unity and indivisibility of the country.

     “You must at all times, work conscientiously and tirelessly for the cohesion of our country by regarding your compatriots as brothers with whom you share a common stake in progress and well-being.”

     Jonathan commended the various efforts of the Ministry of Youth Development and the NYSC towards skills acquisition training. This includes youth entrepreneurship development initiatives aimed at job creation, enhanced service delivery and rural development.