National Telescope national telescope newspaper
The DG National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Brigadier -General Yushau Ahmed has lauded the over four hundred thousand (400,000) enrollment of graduates yearly to the NYSC Scheme in the past 50 years of existence.
The DG who was represented by the State Coordinator, Comrade Odoba Oche disclosed this on Monday, at the State Secretariat where the Corps members assembled before the unity walk at the metropolis city of Ibadan to mark the 50th anniversary of the scheme.
In his address, the DG told corps members that the NYSC was established in 1973 and the establishment of the Service Corps was a major post colonial effort to fashion out a nation out of several ethnic nationalities. To achieve the purpose of building a united nation, and development of Nigerian youths and Nigerian into a great and dynamic economy.
If there was no NYSC most graduating students will be on the streets doing nothing. NYSC is a living light of youth organization in the world.
According to him, “the NYSC has achieved numerous great feats of enrolling graduates for the mandatory service year for the overall development of the country.
“From a mere 2,346 corps members at inception from 5 premier universities, University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, University, University of Nigerian Nsukka, Almadu Bello University and University of Lagos the scheme has grown to 400,000 youth corps members enrolled annually, from countless different universities in the last 50 years.
“He charged the corps members to take advantage of the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneur Development (SAED) to harvest their destiny and become potential entrepreneurs.
Speaking further, he tasked them to see the service year as a time to rekindle their vision statement of what they intend to be in future and they should not rely on the monthly alerts received, adding that they can equally create a platform that will generate income for themselves if the one year mandatory service to the nation is maximized.
He urged them to acquire computer skills that will pave way for them in the global village, adding that they should think big, and not think small.
“There’s need for you to reorganize yourself for self identification and self realization and development for sustainability.
“I want you to think, if you are not thinking, you are sinking, while you are learning, it is said “your learning power determines your earning power”. If you learn, you earn”.
Reacting the State Coordinator explained that the purpose of the unity walk is to mark the beginning of the 50th year of the NYSC. In every event there must be a beginning and the kick start of the 50th anniversary of the scheme begins with a road walk. To indicate that the camp leaders and corps members are physically fit and strong for the nation and for the national development, he said.
Meanwhile, the DG has disclosed that there will be a showcase of skills acquisition programme during the celebration and the grand finale is on May 22 when NYSC was given birth to which also commemorate the passing out parade of Batch ‘B’ Stream 1 Corps members from the mandatory one year service respectively.
