NYSC DG Urges Establishment of Trust Fund to Empower Corps Members

NYSC DG Urges Establishment of Trust Fund to Empower Corps Members

FELICIA ONAH, Abuja

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has called for the establishment of a Trust Fund to strengthen youth enterprise and empower corps members with start-up capital at the end of their service year.

Director-General of the Scheme, Olakunle Nafiu, made the call while briefing participants of Senior Executive Course 48 of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) during a study tour to the NYSC Directorate Headquarters.

Nafiu said the proposed Trust Fund would provide financial backing for corps members trained under the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, enabling them to establish businesses and become employers of labour.

“The NYSC Trust Fund Bill has been passed by the National Assembly and is awaiting the assent of Mr President. We will appreciate if you could make it part of your recommendations while presenting your report,” he said.

“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,” Nafiu added.

The NYSC boss disclosed that the Scheme had trained 1,391,119 graduates in various vocational skills between 2019 and 2025 under the SAED initiative, which was introduced in 2012 to promote self-reliance among Nigerian youths.

He noted that the programme has become increasingly relevant as job opportunities continue to shrink, stressing that the Scheme’s mandate now goes beyond national service to include economic empowerment.

“As at the time NYSC was established, jobs were readily available and companies were running after graduates. Today, however, those opportunities are very scarce,” he said, adding that the Scheme now equips corps members with skills to create jobs rather than depend on them.

Nafiu also commended government agencies and partner organisations for supporting the initiative through grants, soft loans and start-up kits for corps entrepreneurs.

In his remarks, the Director-General of NIPSS, Ayo Omotayo, praised the NYSC for its contribution to tackling unemployment and promoting youth empowerment.

“We deliberately chose NYSC for this study tour, having closely monitored your trajectory in the area of youth empowerment,” Omotayo said, noting that findings from the tour would inform policy recommendations to the Federal Government.

He added that the institute would consider proposals aimed at strengthening the Scheme’s capacity to deliver on its mandate.

The NYSC maintained that the establishment of the Trust Fund would significantly enhance its entrepreneurship drive and contribute to sustainable economic growth.