The director, Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Department, NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, Abuja, Mr Hilary Nasamu, has advised the 2019 Batch ‘B’ stream two corps members to embrace SAED programme with much enthusiasm.
He gave the advice yesterday in his address presented by the Anambra State coordinator, Mr Kehinde Aremu, at the opening ceremony of SAED activities at the Umunya orientation camp. Emphasizing on lack of practical skills as a contributing factor to unemployment in Nigeria, the Director noted that identifying and advancing skills and business ideas could enhance self-reliance in the corps members and make them employers of labour afterwards.
According to him: “Participating in this programme is a rare privilege for you to give your positive attributes full expression in order to blossom and find fulfilment”.“I am confident that with the attainment of these attributes, through constructive engagement, you would sooner than later be a CEO and a wealth creator rather than a pensive, disillusioned and frustrated youth pounding the streets of major cities of this country looking for elusive jobs.
” Grab this golden opportunity, please”, the Director implored.
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Mr Nasamu, who described the call to National Youth Service as a time of hope and new possibilities, also enumerated twelve business skills available to the corps members stressing that if properly utilized, the programme content could expose them to identification of business ideas and writing of proposals capable of attracting loans from financial institutions for start-up. “Corps members have already taken advantage of the NYSC/Bank of Industry Graduate Entrepreneurship Fund (GEF) through expert guidance in writing and funding of bankable business proposals. Hundreds of corps members have already benefited from the GEF scheme. These opportunities will be available to you through participation in SAED activities,” he noted.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the Assistant Director, SAED, NYSC Anambra State, Mrs Ifeyinwa Nwafor, urged the corps members to take the camp training seriously and as well trace their trainers for the post-camp training, for the purpose of efficiency in their respective areas of interest.
Earlier, the State Coordinator, in an address, exhorted the corps members to see themselves as part of the Nigerian elite, and develop skills capable of enhancing the actualization of their dreams. He said: “You must recognize that you are part of the Nigeria elite; you can’t afford to be in the same position as those that did not go to school”. “The only way by which you can enter into where God has positioned you is this: Get a skill, develop the skill and run with the skill”, Mr Aremu emphasized.
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