RismadarVoice Reporters, April 2, 2026
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has reiterated the scheme’s commitment to empowering young Nigerians with skills which may help address unemployment in the country.
Nafiu made this known during a briefing with participants of Group 2 from the Senior Executive Course 48 (2026) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, who visited the NYSC Directorate Headquarters in Abuja for a study tour.
During the session, the NYSC boss disclosed that between 2019 and 2025, the scheme trained 1,391,119 graduates in various vocational fields through its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme. According to him, the initiative is designed to equip corps members with practical skills that can enable them to become self-reliant and create employment opportunities for others.
He explained that the SAED programme, introduced in 2012, aligns with one of the core objectives of the NYSC scheme, which focuses on encouraging young Nigerians to embrace entrepreneurship and develop skills for self-employment.
Nafiu noted that when the NYSC scheme was established decades ago, employment opportunities for graduates were more readily available. However, he said the situation has changed significantly, making entrepreneurship and vocational training more essential for today’s graduates.
He lauded the vision of the scheme’s founders for including youth empowerment among its guiding principles, stating that the provision has become increasingly relevant in an era where traditional white-collar jobs are limited.
The Director-General also acknowledged the support of government agencies and private organizations that collaborate with the NYSC in implementing the SAED programme. These partners, he said, provide technical assistance, financial support, grants, soft loans and start-up equipment to corps members who wish to launch businesses.
Nafiu further appealed to NIPSS to support advocacy for the establishment of the proposed NYSC Trust Fund. He explained that although the bill has been passed by the National Assembly, it is still awaiting presidential approval.
According to him, the proposed fund would strengthen the SAED programme by providing corps members who complete entrepreneurship training with the financial resources needed to start their own businesses at the end of their service year.
To highlight the impact of the initiative, the visiting delegation was shown a documentary – showcasing success stories of corps members who have built thriving businesses after benefiting from SAED training.
In his remarks, the Director-General of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo, who led the delegation, commended the NYSC for its efforts in supporting youth empowerment and reducing unemployment through skill development.
Omotayo explained that the visit formed part of the institute’s study tour for Course 48 participants, which focuses on the theme, “ Economic Diversification and National Development : Leveraging Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Growth and Development.”
He said insights gathered during the tour would contribute to a comprehensive policy report aimed at providing practical solutions to unemployment in Nigeria.
Omotayo added that the institute selected the NYSC as a key stop on the tour because of its consistent efforts in promoting youth development and entrepreneurship across the country. He also assured that the team would include recommendations in its final report to the federal government on ways to strengthen the scheme’s capacity to empower young Nigerians.
