NYSC, NADDC Partner to Train Corps Members on CNG Retrofitting Skills

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has entered into a strategic partnership with the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) to integrate Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) retrofitting training into its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme for corps members nationwide.

The collaboration was formalised on Wednesday in Abuja with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at equipping young graduates with practical automotive skills aligned with Nigeria’s energy transition agenda.

Speaking at the event, NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, said the partnership would expand the scope of the SAED programme, which has been running since 2012 to tackle youth unemployment through skills development.

He disclosed that the NYSC currently facilitates in-camp SAED training for more than 300,000 corps members annually, while over 1.5 million participants have benefited from post-camp vocational training since the programme began.

According to him, the collaboration with NADDC would strengthen the capacity of corps members to acquire industry-relevant technical skills, particularly in the growing CNG conversion sector.

“For over five decades the NYSC has been mobilising Nigerian graduates in support of unity and development. In response to the growing rate of unemployment, we launched the NYSC SAED programme in 2012 because service with skills leaves corps members better equipped,” Nafiu said.

He added that the scheme would take full advantage of its nationwide presence by deploying orientation camps and training facilities to support the new technical programme.

“The NYSC offers a nationwide presence unmatched by any other institution as we operate in every state of Nigeria welcoming thousands of graduates,” he stated.

Nafiu assured that corps members would be adequately prepared to emerge as certified practitioners in CNG technology by the end of their service year.

He also commended the Minister for Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, and the Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi, as well as the leadership of NADDC for supporting youth-focused innovation.

Director-General of NADDC, Otunba Joseph Osanipin, said the council was fully committed to delivering a structured and professional CNG retrofitting curriculum under the three-year agreement.

He explained that the programme would be designed to meet international standards and produce corps members who are both technically competent and enterprise-ready.

“Through this partnership NADDC will deploy its full technical capacity to design and deliver a CNG retrofitting curriculum of highest professional standard that would produce corps members of engineering background who are genuinely certified, practically competent and enterprise ready,” Osanipin said.

He added that the initial three-year framework would be sufficient to demonstrate measurable impact in skills development and job creation.

Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi, said the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s energy transition agenda while addressing youth unemployment through vocational training.

Minister for Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, said the collaboration between NYSC and NADDC had the potential to generate up to 5,000 jobs for young Nigerians.

He urged other stakeholders to support similar initiatives aimed at bridging skill gaps and expanding opportunities for youth empowerment.

Olawande also stressed the importance of ensuring that Nigerian youths are not excluded from emerging economic opportunities in the CNG value chain.

“The Nigerian youths must not be left behind. We must not bring people from other areas to come and fix our CNG or from different countries to come and earn our income and claim we have no job,” he said.

He further encouraged corps members to utilise their service year to acquire practical skills that would enable them to create employment opportunities after their service.

The Minister noted that the Federal Government had been promoting the CNG initiative over the past three years and expressed optimism that the partnership would strengthen its implementation nationwide.