The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has called on corps employers to improve the welfare of corps members posted to their organisations, warning that employers who fail to provide accommodation and transportation would be blacklisted from benefiting from the scheme.
He gave the warning while interacting with corps members in Lokoja during a working visit to Kogi State in North-Central Nigeria.
The NYSC Director-General assured corps members of the Federal Government’s commitment to their security and welfare. He also appealed to state and local governments, as well as other stakeholders, to increase support for the scheme.
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General Nafiu reminded corps members that security is a collective responsibility and urged them to promptly report suspicious activities to relevant security agencies.
He also advised them to remain disciplined, dedicated to duty and avoid acts capable of tarnishing their image, stressing that they are ambassadors of their families, institutions of graduation and the NYSC.
The Director-General encouraged corps members to take their post-camp Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) training seriously to enhance their skills before the end of the service year.
He reiterated the importance of embracing entrepreneurship and small-scale businesses, noting that such ventures could provide sustainable sources of income.
“Be proactive, identify business opportunities within your host communities, and start making some money for yourselves even now,” he advised.
While acknowledging the prevailing economic challenges in the country, Nafiu urged corps members to cultivate a savings culture, describing it as a foundation for future prosperity.
“Take your service year as a training ground for future financial management by managing your finances wisely,” he said.
The NYSC Kogi State Coordinator, Mrs Tochi Chris-Moneke, expressed appreciation to the Director-General for the visit, describing it as a demonstration of his commitment to the welfare and security of corps members and staff.
She disclosed that the state secretariat plans to organise a corps employers’ workshop and a Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD) programme in the coming weeks.
