The Minister of Youth Development and Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalong, has
said the Federal Government plans to expand the National Youth Service
Corps scheme to include skill acquisition and entrepreneurial training.
Dalong said this on Tuesday during an inspection tour of the Lagos
State NYSC orientation camp in the Iyana Ipaya area of the state.
“After the mandatory one-year service, the Federal Government is
planning an extension, to professionally train interested corps members
in skill acquisition, enterprising and professional programmes.
He said, “Apart from the basic orientation programme, the NYSC scheme
should also move into including professional and enterprising
programmes to support and motivate those who would not want to embrace
public services in the country.
“Corps members with keen interest would be retained and some
financial token given to them as start-up capital in furtherance of
their skill.
“This is because due to our research, we found out that people
abandon school due to uncertainty of the future. Hence, we believe this
would help reduce the unemployed graduate ratio and curtail pressure on
white-collar job as a means to win the war against poverty.”
The minister explained that graduates who received addition training
after the mandatory one-year service would be provided with a start-up
capital at the end of the training.
He also said that the Federal
Government would not succumb to
agitations from some quarters to scrap the NYSC scheme as its merits
outweighed the disadvantages.
According to him, the scheme has not only enhanced the socio-cultural
and ethnic integration in the country, it has also promoted national
unity.
“We cannot dismiss the gains of the NYSC scheme in integrating
Nigeria; I will stand firmly for the sustenance of the system, to
continue in its capacity-building of Nigeria citizens because, it is an
indispensable aspect of diversifying our culture,” he said.
Dalong expressed satisfaction with the state of the Lagos NYSC
orientation camp, and thanked the Lagos State government for its support
for the scheme.
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