By Emmanuella Oghenetega
The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Olakunle Nafiu, has reiterated the Scheme’s strategic role in combating youth unemployment by promoting entrepreneurship and vocational skill development among Nigerian graduates.
He stated this while addressing participants of Senior Executive Course 48, 2026 (Group 2) from the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), who visited the NYSC Directorate Headquarters in Abuja as part of their study tour.
Nafiu revealed that between 2019 and 2025, the Scheme trained 1,391,119 Corps members in diverse vocational skills under its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme.
He explained that the SAED initiative, launched in 2012, was designed to fulfill one of the Scheme’s core mandates, equipping Nigerian youths with the capacity for self-reliance through entrepreneurship.
Highlighting the relevance of the programme in today’s economic climate, Nafiu praised the foresight behind the NYSC’s founding objectives, noting that the shift toward entrepreneurship has become essential amid declining availability of white-collar jobs.
“As at the time NYSC was established, jobs were readily available and companies were running after graduates that were turned out by the few tertiary institutions that existed then.
“Today, however, those opportunities are very scarce. Thankfully, the NYSC Act has given us the mandate to empower Corps members with entrepreneurial skills that will make then not just self-sufficient, but also employers of labour,” he said.
The NYSC boss also acknowledged the contributions of government agencies and partner organisations that support the SAED programme through funding, technical assistance, and the provision of soft loans, grants, and start-up kits for young entrepreneurs.
He further called on NIPSS to strengthen advocacy for the establishment of the NYSC Trust Fund, noting that the bill has already been passed by the National Assembly and is awaiting presidential assent.
“The NYSC Trust Fund Bill has been passed by the National Assembly and awaiting the assent of Mr. President. We will appreciate, if you could make it as part of your recommendations while presenting your report to the president.
“With the Trust Fund, we will be able to give every Corps member that passes through the SAED training adequate capital to start their business of interest at the end of the service year,” he said.
As part of the visit, participants were shown a documentary showcasing success stories of beneficiaries of the SAED initiative, highlighting its impact on youth entrepreneurship.
In his remarks, the Director General of NIPSS, Ayo Omotayo, commended the NYSC for its role in reducing unemployment through targeted youth empowerment programmes.
He noted that the study tour aligns with the theme “Economic Diversification and National Development: Leveraging Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Growth and Development,” adding that the findings would contribute to a policy framework to be presented to the Federal Government.
“We deliberately chose NYSC for this study tour, having closely monitored your trajectory in the area of youth empowerment,” he said.
Omotayo also assured that the group would include recommendations aimed at strengthening the Scheme’s capacity to deliver on its mandate.
The engagement highlights the growing importance of the NYSC as a platform for equipping young Nigerians with practical skills and entrepreneurial opportunities needed to navigate the country’s evolving economic landscape.
