By Rita Iliya
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has been described as a major force in promoting national unity, rural development and youth empowerment across Nigeria in its 53 years of existence.
Mrs Gladys Adama, Director, North Central Office I, Minna, stated this during the celebration of the 53rd anniversary of the scheme on Friday in Minna.
Adama said the establishment of the NYSC was necessitated by the need to foster reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction after the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 to 1970.
According to her, the then administration of Gen. Yakubu Gowon established the scheme to unite Nigerian youths and strengthen national integration.
She said the scheme had, over the years, fulfilled its mandate through the deployment of corps members to different parts of the country.
“Today, NYSC is everywhere in all the nooks and crannies of the country doing what it knows best.
“The scheme has helped to create unity among Nigerian youths and contributed immensely to development at local government and community levels,” she said.
Adama noted that corps members had continued to play critical roles in the education and health sectors, especially in rural communities.
According to her, many schools in rural areas rely heavily on corps members for teaching services, while health professionals under the scheme contribute significantly to healthcare delivery across the country.
She added that the NYSC had strengthened integration among Nigerians by exposing young graduates to cultures and traditions outside their states of origin.
“A child from the East can be posted to Adamawa in the North where he has never been before, and by the end of service he becomes part of the community,” she said.
Adama also said many ex-corps members had remained in Niger after service to establish small and medium-scale businesses, thereby contributing to the state’s economy.
She urged corps members to remain resilient and continue to contribute to national development and the promotion of unity wherever they found themselves.
The director also charged members of staff of the scheme to continue mentoring younger corps members and uphold the ideals of the NYSC.
Also speaking, the NYSC Coordinator in Niger, Mrs Martina Ibrahim-Shuaibu, said corps members constituted about 85 per cent of the workforce in some sectors in the state.
According to her, between 80 and 90 per cent of corps members serving in Niger are non-indigenes visiting the state for the first time.
She said many of them had settled in the state after service and were currently running successful businesses.
Ibrahim-Shuaibu added that the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme had empowered corps members to become employers of labour rather than job seekers.
She commended corps members in the state for their contributions to national development and community service. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Isaac Ukpoju
