LAGOS – The Federal Government has concluded plans to spend N50 billion to empower no fewer than 5,000 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, translating to about N10 million each, the Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jemila Ibrahim, disclosed in Paiko town of Niger State this week.
The minister also announced that a National Youth Skills Programme would be launched soon to also train one million young Nigerians in diverse fields, including technology and agriculture.
Ibrahim made this known at the swearing-in ceremony of the 2024 Batch B, Stream 1 orientation course in Paiko where she also said that the ministry had started receiving applications for the ‘restructured’ Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) which will commence from this month for young people to access financial support.
She, therefore, advised youths across the country to utilise the NYIF to bring their business ideas to life, adding that they should fully embrace the NYSP “to gain new competencies and develop well-rounded skills.”
In his address, Niger State Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Bago, announced plans by the state government to construct a new NYSC permanent orientation camp to replace the temporary structures presently being used
“We want to build a brand new NYSC camp; so today we are putting N5 billion for a new NYSC camp and sink five boreholes and toilets in the temporary camp,” Bago said.
To boost the morale of the corps members, the governor announced a N200, 000 bonus for each corps member in the 2024 Batch B, Stream 1, 20 cows and one truck of rice to make them comfortable.
He called on the corps members to key into the state agricultural revolution programme to address the food crisis, adding that his administration had invested huge money in agriculture.
Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed, the Director-General of NYSC, in his remarks, appreciated the governor for approving the N5 billion for the construction of a new NYSC permanent orientation camp adding that the N200,000 announced by the governor for corps members was a welcome development, and urged other governors to emulate the gesture to encourage the corps members.