By Stellamaries Amuwa, Abuja
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Dr Dunona Umar has pledged support towards the actualization of the proposed NYSC Trust Fund for the benefit of Corps Members.
Dr Umar stated this when the Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General YD Ahmed paid him a visit on his appointment in his office in Abuja.
According to him, the Scheme is a laudable programme that has engineered youth empowerment, job creation, socio-economic development and also strengthened national unity. Noting that the Ministry would continue to engage the Scheme towards maintaining a robust collaboration with stakeholders on the training of Corps Members with the deployment of ICT.
“The youth needs encouragement. NYSC is a very interesting and laudable programme. We will continue to support NYSC to ensure that the Scheme foster national unity through its deployment policy”, the Permanent Secretary said.
Speaking earlier, the NYSC Director General, Brigadier General YD Ahmed congratulated Dr Umar on his appointment. While briefing the Permanent Secretary on the activities, prospects and challenges of the Scheme, he said in it’s bid to reduce the increasing rate of unemployment among the youths in the country, the National Youth Service Corps has empowered more than Three Million (3,000,000) Corps Members through its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme which started in 2012.
“We have computerized our operations, especially the mobilization process, with the launch of the NYSC Online Integrated System in 2014.”
He listed some of the recent achievements of the Scheme to include; resuscitation of NYSC bus shuttle services to cushion the effect of increase in prices of services, collaboration with stakeholders which resulted to donation of a 48-room Corps Lodge by Ikwerre Local Government Council of Rivers State, and also the construction of a Corps Lodge by a friend of the Scheme in Delta State among others.
