News Editor
Peter Jerome
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) yesterday celebrated 48 years of dedicated commitment to the vision of the scheme.
The Director General, Brig. Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim in a significant move to mark the event, spearheaded the launching of nine books and a movie titled: Call to Service, to preserve the gains of the scheme and commercialize its objectives and strides for national and global bargains.
In the event which held at the Reiz Continental in Abuja, the Director General in his opening remark, while restating his commitment to positively rebranding the face of the scheme, noted that the NYSC is the most enduring of all the schemes and programmes initiated in the country in the last five decades.
The DG’s speech highlighted several attainments by Corps Members while presenting plans for the future of the scheme in the country.
He said Corp members come fresh with energy and learning, brimming with patriotism and willing to serve their fatherland in the best way they could be engaged advising that to succeed, there is imperative for national and corporate support.
The books reviewer Prof. Okpeh O. Okpeh a professor of History whose research interest straddles African History, Inter-Group and Conflict Studies, Historiography as well as Gender and Development Studies, remarked that the books will serve as useful materials for anyone who is keenly interested in knowledge about the scheme especially as it relates to national growth and progress.
The books title include:
- National Youth Service Corps and the Educational Sector in Nigeria.
- National Youth Service Corps and the Health Sector in Nigeria.
- National Youth Service Corps and Community Development Service.
- National Youth Service Corps and Election in Nigeria.
- National Youth Service Corps and Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development in Nigeria
- National Youth Service Corps and National Integration.
- National Youth Service Corps and the Fight against Covid-19 in Nigeria, amongst others.
The occasion also witnessed the public presentation of a Movie titled: A Call to Service.
Responding to these massive strides of the NYSC, the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdullahi Sule in his goodwill message, acknowledge that those publications were very timely and that through those books, Nigeria will reach out to the world on the corporate objectives of the scheme.
Similarly, the FCT Minister who was represented at the occasion, lauded the management of the NYSC under the headship of Brig. Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim. He noted that the scheme has recorded gains and giants strides so far in pursuing the mandates of the NYSC.
Also, the Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF) Kayode Fayemi who was equally represented, commended the Trust Fund initiative of the NYSC for Corps members post service year, and noted that it will greatly assist startups and the government’s developmental goals.
In his remarks, the hon. minister for youths and sports development Sunday Dare called on all Corps members to take full advantage of the scheme and other youths orientated programmes of the current administration to ensure future self-reliance. While the chairman house committee on youth development Hon. Olumide Osoba, pointed out that the only platform that brings Nigerians together across culturally without recourse to fault line considerations is the NYSC scheme.
Other dignitaries represented at the event included the Chief of Defense Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of the Naval Staff, Chairman, and members of the NYSC governing council, NYSC top management Staff, Corps members amongst others.
In another development, The Director General Brig. Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim restated that the essence of the NYSC scheme have not been defeated as it has continued to consolidate on its ideals of national unity, cultural integration, and youth development.
The DG stated this in a chat with press men on the sidelines of the public presentation of books and Movie on the NYSC.
The NYSC scheme the signature project of Gen. Yakubu Gowon was established in 1973 as part of the post-civil war reconstruction and rehabilitation agenda to solidify the nation’s unification plans and agenda.
