Former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, has praised successive batches of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members for sustaining the core values of the scheme he established in 1973.
Gowon made the commendation when the NYSC Director General (DG), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, visited him at his residence in Abuja.
The elder statesman commended corps members for their significant contributions to various national programmes and sectors, including: urban and rural development, education and health sectors and elections.
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Gowon expressed delight at the successes recorded by the NYSC over the past decades, also commending the managers of the Scheme from its inception to date for sustaining the vision of its founding fathers.
“Let me commend all the staff of the Scheme from inception to date. I say well done and thank you for ensuring that it records success,” he said.
Reflecting on the Scheme’s origins, Gowon recalled that the idea stemmed from the collective quest of various sections of Nigeria to use the country’s human resources to solve its problems after the civil war.
He noted that the deployment policy has resulted in inter-ethnic marriages and many other benefits.
In the face of current realities, however, Gowon stressed the need to make the NYSC more relevant.
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He advocated for greater stakeholders’ support for the Scheme, arguing that this would help to promote entrepreneurial and self-employment success for Corps Members, a goal stated in the NYSC Act.
Earlier, Nafiu, thanked the former Head of State for his continuous guidance.
He assured Gowon that the NYSC staff remains committed to sustaining the Scheme’s successes and achieving new milestones in its post-golden jubilee era.
