Director General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed, has said the scheme is poised to empower corps members for wealth creation with the support of relevant stakeholders.
He said his administration would continue to deepen the impact of Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) for growth of the national economy.
Ahmed disclosed this during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NYSC and Nasarawa State University, Keffi, on training of corps members by professionals from the institution.
He noted that the unemployment challenge has made collaboration with the Scheme imperative to encourage youths for self-reliance. General Ahmed, while speaking through the Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Ahmed Wada Ikaka, said this would curtail youth restiveness and other forms of criminal tendencies.
He said: “Our decision to go into this partnership is to enable us optimise benefits of NYSC SAED Centre, in Keffi, with the help of professional trainers of the university.” He added that the partnership would also enable the scheme in training members of the host community from the NYSC SAED Centre.
The DG urged corps members and other youths to embrace the opportunity and take advantage of ultra-modern equipment at the centre to empower themselves for financial independent.
The Director, SAED, in NYSC, Ngozi Nwatarali, disclosed that one of the cardinal objectives of NYSC is to encourage corps members to acquire skills that will enable them become self-reliant and self employed.
She added that corps members are not only sensitised and given skills training, the scheme facilitates start-up funds for their businesses through several financial partners, as well as provision of business mentorship until their businesses becomes successful.
“We have recorded 37,248 established businesses by ex-corps members, which has multiplying effects in providing employment opportunities for youths, creating wealth and taking them off the streets and far away from crime,” she stated.
The Vice-Chancellor, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Suleiman Bala Mohammad, who was represented by the Deputy Vice -Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Saadatu Hassan Liman, said entrepreneurship is a source of wealth creation for every nation. He described it as national asset towards economic growth for every nation, and must be assisted.
