By Ada Okafor
Corps Members have been advised on the criteria for winning the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) President’s Honours Award.
The Director-General NYSC, Maj-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, gave the advise while addressing the 2022 Batch ‘A’ Stream One Corps Members deployed to Nasarawa State at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Magaji Dan Yamusa, in Keffi.
He disclosed that assessment for the award starts from the Orientation Camp, adding that they must excel in all the four cardinal programmes of the NYSC before they could qualify for consideration for the award.
He further revealed that 110 ex-corps members honoured during the last edition are now gainfully employed by the federal government.
He reminded them that any corps member that changes his posting or redeploy is automatically disqualified from consideration for the award, adding that a potential awardee must have also won the State Honours Award.
He urged them to study their host communities and initiate laudable projects that would improve their living standard.
Gen. lbrahim who met the corps members while undergoing Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) training advised them to utilise the opportunity provided by the scheme to become job creators.
He noted that the NYSC management intoduced skills acquisition to encourage vocational training among corps members in order to make them self-employed, wealth creators and reduce the rate of unemployment among graduate youths in the country.
He added that the dcheme has been advocating the establishment of NYSC Trust Fund which would make funds available for corps members as they conclude the national service.
“Jobs are not readily available but many ex-corps members that took SAED programme seriously are now self-employed and wealth creators, contributing to the country’s GDP.
“We have our stakeholders like the Central Bank Nigeria, Bank of Industry, Access Bank, Unity Bank, Leventis Foundation, among others that have been assisting corps members with support capital.
“Drive your vision with passion, don’t cut corners, be trustworthy and reliable and with good conduct, l can assure you, the sky will be your limit.
“We don’t want to hear any act of criminality from any corps member, shun drugs and other forms of criminality”, he stressed.
He further advised them to be responsible users of the social media to promote national unity and integration, instead of using it to promote dissafection among Nigerians.
He aldo warned them against unauthorized journeys, adding that they should obtain permission from NYSC before they travel, if it becomes necessary and compelling.
Before departing from the NYSC camp, Gen. Ibrahim inspected the North-Central Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Centre located inside the Orientation Camp.
The SAED centre comprises, garment factory, bakery, water production factory, automobile repair centre, among other sections.
