The Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Zamfara, Lawan Ahmed, has urged corps members to prioritize skills acquisition and entrepreneurship to foster self-employment.
He made the call during the closing ceremony of the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, part of the ongoing 2024 Batch C Stream I Orientation Course at the NYSC camp in Gusau on Friday.
In light of the current job scarcity in the country, Mr. Ahmed emphasized the importance of gaining practical skills. “The importance of having a skill in Nigeria today cannot be overemphasized; skills are in high demand and they help you to be self-dependent,” he said.
He further advised corps members to embrace the NYSC SAED programme, which he described as a tool to combat youth unemployment. “It is not a good thing to still depend on your parents for little things after they have spent so much to put you through school,” he added. “So, embrace this skills programme wholeheartedly, be committed to consistent learning, and move from the apprentice level to the master’s level of your skill set.”
Mr. Ahmed encouraged the corps members to use their newly acquired skills to create their own businesses, thereby becoming self-reliant and even generating employment for others. “With that, you can start your own business, become self-dependent, and employ others instead of looking for scarce white-collar jobs,” he said.
He also urged corps members to take advantage of various credit facilities provided by the federal government through financial institutions.
The coordinator commended the NYSC management for providing the necessary resources for the free training of corps members during their camp, under the SAED programme. Corps members received training in diverse fields, including agro-allied services, construction, event management, fashion designing, and photography, among others.
(NAN)
