NYSC Empowers 1.39 Million Youths, Strengthens Drive Against Unemployment – DG

The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has reaffirmed the Scheme’s critical role in addressing youth unemployment in Nigeria through sustained investment in entrepreneurship and skills development.

He made this known while receiving participants of Group 2, Senior Executive Course 48 (2026) of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, who were at the NYSC Directorate Headquarters on a study tour themed: “Economic Diversification and National Development: Leveraging the Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Growth in Nigeria.”

Nafiu disclosed that the NYSC, through its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, trained a total of 1,391,119 corps members in various vocational skills between 2019 and 2025.

According to him, the SAED initiative, introduced in 2012, aligns with the Scheme’s mandate to equip Nigerian youths with practical skills for self-reliance and job creation.

He noted that while employment opportunities were once abundant for graduates, the current reality demands a shift towards entrepreneurship.

“Today, job opportunities are limited. However, the NYSC Act mandates us to equip corps members with entrepreneurial skills that will make them not only self-reliant but also employers of labour,” he said.

The NYSC boss commended government agencies and partner organisations for their continued support in implementing the SAED programme through funding, grants, soft loans, and provision of start-up kits.

He also called on NIPSS to support advocacy for the establishment of the NYSC Trust Fund, noting that the bill has been passed by the National Assembly and is awaiting presidential assent.

“With the Trust Fund, we will be able to provide corps members who complete SAED training with the necessary capital to start their chosen businesses at the end of their service year,” Nafiu added.

Participants of the study tour were also shown a documentary showcasing success stories of corps members who have benefited from the SAED initiative.

In his remarks, the Director-General of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo, commended the NYSC for its contributions to reducing unemployment through youth empowerment programmes.

Omotayo explained that the study tour was designed to generate practical solutions for economic diversification and sustainable development, adding that findings from the exercise would help shape policy recommendations to the Federal Government.

“We deliberately selected NYSC for this study tour based on its impactful role in youth empowerment,” he said.

He assured that the group would recommend measures to strengthen the Scheme’s capacity to deliver on its mandate.