As the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja marked the weeklong activities for the 50th anniversary of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with pomp and pageantry, the Director-General, Brigadier-General Yushau Dogara Ahmed, represented by the State Coordinator, Mrs. Winifred Ngozi Shokpeka added pep to the celebration with various outdoor activities to make the celebration remarkable.
The anniversary commenced with the NYSC at 50 “Unity Walk” around the major metropolis of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The five-kilometre” Unity Walk” took off from the State Secretariat at Okelewo through Abeokuta under the watchful eyes of the State Traffic Unit of the Nigerian Police and terminated at the Moshood Abiola International Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta.
The theme is” NYSC: Five Decades of Fostering National Unity And Integration,”
In a chat with newsmen, Mrs. Shokpeka said despite the challenges of the past 50 years, the NYSC scheme can be described as a Nigerian success story.
In the same vein, the Ogun State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Dr. Kehinde Oluwadare extolled the National Youth Service Corps for her contributions to national development and fostering unity over the past five decades.
The Commissioner, who received the 25th State Coordinator, Mrs. Shokpeka, management, staff and Corps Members in his office, charged the corps members never to relent in their contributions to national development as Nigeria belongs to us all and advocated that all hands must be on deck.
Aside from the special Jumat, visit to the orphanage/juvenile home and features on radio programmes, the Scheme also hosted an exhibition organised by the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme staged at the Okelewo, Abeokuta Secretariat of the scheme.
The State Coordinator, Mrs. Shokpeka was away on a national assignment in Abuja at the event where President Muhammadu Buhari granted automatic employment into the Federal Civil Service for 65 Ex-Corps Members that excelled meritoriously in all the four cardinal programmes of NYSC during their service year in 2019.
Represented by Mrs.Joke Oyenuga, an Assistant Director, of Community Development Service (CDS), the SC lauded the NYSC Managers for introducing the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme, which she said was a gateway to self-reliance and self-actualization for Corps Members.
She said SAED introduced in 2012 by the Federal Government has helped many corps members acquire useful skills as option B that have become a veritable source of income. Through SAED, many ex-corps members have become job creators and employers of labour.
The SAED exhibition featured various locally produced goods by facilitators and partners.
Guests at the event also included Deputy Superintendent of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Deputy Commandant Ajayi; Mrs. Bello Olasimibo from NECO; Mr. Benjamin Onoja from the National Directorate of Employment (NDE); Mr. Olajide Fabuja from Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and Mrs. Abimbola Olaniregun from National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), among others.
In his goodwill message, Mr. Fabuja lauded the foresight of the founding fathers of the scheme, saying that at 50, the scheme has become an enduring national asset.
“NYSC has become a bond of unity and integration that has kept Nigeria moving, adding “Corps members must remain committed to the ideals of the skills acquisition as option B for a gainful source of income and self-reliance.”
Representative of the Ogun State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Commandant David Idowu Ojelabi, appreciated the creative introduction of SAED by the Federal government.
Highlights of the event include an outstanding band display by Corps members, an inspection of exhibition stands mounted by SAED and goodwill messages from partners of the scheme in the state.
The anniversary celebration was rounded off with a church Thanksgiving on Sunday.
