We’ve trained 1.3 million graduates in vocational skills – NYSC

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced that it successfully trained 1,391,119 young Nigerian graduates in various vocational skills between 2019 and 2025 through its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme.

NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this while addressing Group 2 participants of the Senior Executive Course 48, 2026, of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru-Jos, during their study visit to the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters.

The team is undertaking a national study tour themed “Economic Diversification and National Development: Leveraging the Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Growth in Nigeria.”

General Nafiu reaffirmed the Scheme’s central role in combating youth unemployment, stressing that the SAED programme has become indispensable in today’s Nigeria, where white-collar job opportunities have significantly declined.

He noted that the SAED initiative, introduced in 2012, aligns with the core NYSC mandate to instil self-reliance in Nigerian youths by equipping Corps members with entrepreneurial and vocational skills needed for self-employment and wealth creation.

“At the time NYSC was established, jobs were readily available, and companies competed for graduates.

“Today, those opportunities are very scarce. Thankfully, the NYSC Act empowers us to train Corps members to become not just self-sufficient but also employers of labour,” he stated.

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The DG commended government agencies and private partners who continue to support SAED through technical assistance, funding, grants, soft loans, and start-up kits for emerging Corps entrepreneurs.

He also appealed to NIPSS to support advocacy for the establishment of the NYSC Trust Fund, explaining that the Bill — already passed by the National Assembly — is awaiting presidential assent.

“With the Trust Fund, we will be able to provide every Corps member who completes SAED training with adequate capital to start their chosen business at the end of service,” he added.

The visitors were also shown a documentary showcasing the success stories of Corps members who have built thriving enterprises through SAED training and support.

In his remarks, the Director General of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo, praised the NYSC for its impactful contribution to national development through youth empowerment initiatives.

He noted that the findings from the study tour would form part of a strategic blueprint aimed at helping the federal government address unemployment and strengthen economic diversification efforts.

“We deliberately chose NYSC for this study tour, having closely followed your progress in youth empowerment,” Omotayo said, assuring that recommendations would include enhancing the capacity of the Scheme.