The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) marked its 53rd anniversary with a renewed call for the approval of its proposed Trust Fund, alongside a review of its contributions to national unity, technological innovation, welfare, and entrepreneurship.
In a statement shared on the official NYSC page, Director‑General Olakunle Nafiu said the Trust Fund would expand the Scheme’s Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme and provide start‑up capital for Corps Members.
“The Trust Fund will assist the NYSC in expanding its venture services and increasing job creation by empowering Corps Members with start‑up capital to establish their businesses,” Nafiu stated. He added that the NYSC Trust Fund would also curb youth restiveness by engaging young graduates in productive ventures that would reduce social vices and idleness.
Speaking at the News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja, the DG reflected on the Scheme’s role in fostering national unity since its establishment in 1973. He noted that NYSC has promoted cultural integration, inter‑tribal marriages, and lasting friendships among participants deployed outside their states of origin.
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Nafiu highlighted innovations such as electronic identity cards, digital record‑keeping, online registration, and social media information dissemination. He said over 500,000 Corps Members have registered businesses with the Corporate Affairs Commission through SAED, which began in 2012.
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He added that NYSC recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan‑Atlantic University to strengthen entrepreneurship training.
Nafiu stressed that accommodation facilities remain critical, noting that Enugu and Osun States are renovating their camps while Lagos is constructing a new one. He reminded state governments of their obligations under the NYSC Act to provide and maintain conducive orientation camps, operational vehicles, and subventions, while local government chairmen are expected to provide Corps lodges.
Nafiu urged Student Affairs Officers in Corps‑producing institutions to forward names of qualified graduates promptly to avoid mobilization delays. He advised Corps Members to comply with travel advisories, avoid night journeys and lone movements, and assured them of security support during deployment.
He added that participants are covered under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) package, which guarantees free medical treatment during service.
The DG also pointed to NYSC ventures — including farms, garment factories, and water plants — as platforms where Corps Members acquire vocational skills and as sources of internally generated revenue.
“The Scheme is trying to inculcate the culture of savings in Corps Members through multiple streams of income. Entrepreneurship development enables them to develop themselves and also train others to acquire new skills towards self‑employment,” he said.
He added that the Scheme continues to sensitize Corps Members on responsible use of social media, encouraging positive content that avoids conflict with the law.
The DG commended the Comptroller‑General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi and other stakeholders for their support, stressing that the Trust Fund remains critical to preparing Corps Members for modern professional realities and sustaining NYSC’s contributions to national unity and development.
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