Trust fund not for gratification of top military officers ― NYSC

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3 years ago

Brigadier General Muhammad Fadah

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has stressed that, contrary to claims, the proposed NYSC Trust Fund was not meant to gratify the financial cravings of top military officers.

It said the purpose of the fund is to address the infrastructural deficit besetting the scheme in the area of camp renovation and maintenance, upgrading, building and maintenance of corps members’ lodges, among others.

The scheme, in a statement signed by its Spokesperson, Mr Eddy Megwa, said the decision to establish the fund was conceived during a meeting held with some of the scheme’s stakeholders notably: the thirty-six state governments and FCT administration, and thereafter strongly supported by civil societies, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) as well as Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).

It reminded that the scheme statutorily has a tripartite funding arrangement – the federal, state and local governments, with each having varying degree of responsibilities.

It added that the trust fund will provide funds to a greater percentage of corps members trained under the NYSC skill acquisition programme (SAED) to start up their businesses.

“It is appropriate to clarify that the fund which passed public hearing, with civil societies, the academia, among others, fully represented is not a pool of slush fund meant to gratify the financial cravings of top military officers as erroneously stated by the writer of the story.

“Over the years, the Scheme has equally partnered governmental and non-governmental institutions in the area of providing start-up capitals to corps members to fund their business initiatives under the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme which is a direct answer to the often asked rhetorical question: After the NYSC what next?,” the statement read.

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