The Minister for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has said that no state government can survive without members of the National Youth Service Corps.
Olawande described the scheme as an important link in the drive for grassroots development across the country.
The minister made the statement at the Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on the NYSC Reform, held in Abuja on Monday.
In his address, Olawande noted that the NYSC, being one of Nigeria’s oldest institutions at over 50 years, must move with the times, adding that the scheme must be reformed to meet the collective aspirations of the country.
“The NYSC is a platform of unity, national building and national development. It is also an institution that the majority of us here today have benefited from, directly or indirectly, which is why we are all doing our best to make sure that it survives and nothing happens to it.
The National Youth Service Corps remains an important drive for grassroots development across Nigeria.
“The corps members continue to play a crucial role I can tell you for free, and I thank God that the Governors’ Forum is here, there is no government, state government that can survive without corps members; in education, in health, in agric, in sports, in whatever are and this is one of those things that I want the reform to look into very well.
“We must recognise that this scheme needs to move with the times, and also accept that the time is moving beyond the scheme, and meet all the challenges, all the changes needed for our society and also global reality,” he said.
The minister also called for the review of the NYSC posting system “to connect members with their skills area,” noting that corps members often did not get the satisfaction from their mandatory service year.
“Let me also say that there is still a lot of work to do, because we still find corps members in places that are not related to their academic and professional training. And because of this, we usually miss the opportunity to place many of our skilled youths where they belong in their national service.
“The corps members also do not get the satisfaction they expected during their service because of the gap that we have. We must review the current posting system to connect corps members with their skills area,” Olawande stated.
