According to Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, the federal government will spend N14 billion to enhance the welfare of employees and participants in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Mr. Dare made this statement at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) yearly management conference’s opening ceremony was held on Tuesday in Abuja.
The conference has “Optimising the Operations of NYSC @ 50 for National Development” as its theme.
He claims that President Muhammadu Buhari has received the document outlining additional reform recommendations and is expecting his approval.
“It is for us to increase and improve the quality of the uniforms of our corps members, increase their bicycle allowance, their feeding allowance and compensation to the staff.
“All of that has been done and has gone to the relevant ministry and finance.
“I am sure that as it makes its way to the presidency, it will get a positive response that will see an injection of N14 billion into the corps and staff welfare for the NYSC,” he said.
The extension of the Skills Acquisition Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) program, which takes place during the introduction course, from three weeks to one year, was one of the main components of the NYSC Trust Fund, according to Mr. Dare.
But he urged the plan to undergo improvements that would improve it over its current state.
He emphasized the importance of including Nigerian youths in all levels of decision-making, adding that the country could not afford to ignore them.
“We also need internal reforms because we deal with a very sensitive population; since the EndSARS happened, no segment of this country can ever or should ever ignore the youth of our country.
“The youth of this country deserve investment in skills, but also those of us entrusted with taking care of them must be sensitive to their needs and also to the issues that are affecting them today,” said the minister.
Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed, the director-general of NYSC, stated that the program’s crucial role in fostering national integration and solidarity has kept it relevant for other organizations since its founding in 1973.
While praising the contributions made by all parties involved in the scheme’s successes to date, Mr. Ahmed stated that the NYSC would use the conference to consolidate and build on those successes by developing new ideas for greater effect.
The director-general urged important stakeholders to help the program handle some of its problems, and he expressed the hope that the NYSC Trust Fund would soon become a reality.