Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, Director-General (DG), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has appreciated the Governors of the 36 states for the upward review of the allowances for corps members serving in their respective states.
The DG gave the commendation at the 2025 Batch-B Pre-Orientation Workshop with stakeholders held on Wednesday in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
He said that the renewed interest by the governors had helped toward creating an enabling environment for the corps members to serve with ease.
“I am particularly happy that several states are now paying due attention to our orientation camps, with some going ahead to either enhance or resume payment of monthly stipends to youth corps members.
“I make bold to say that the Government and good people of Nasarawa State have been outstanding in their support to the NYSC and I thank Gov. Abdullahi Sule for taking our relationship to another level entirely,” the NYSC DG added.
The DG also appreciated the Federal Government (FG) for the recent review of the allowances of corps members and the continued funding of the NYSC scheme.
Nafiu noted that the timely release of funds for the smooth operation of the scheme had helped them to continue to equip corps members with discipline, spirit of patriotism, and skills to contribute to nation-building during their service year.
He added that the federal government had kept faith in the scheme and had demonstrated that through the implementation and support of youth-friendly policies and the recent upward review of the allowances of corps members.
On the essence of the engagement, Nafiu said that the Pre-Orientation Workshop served as a platform for NYSC management and other key stakeholders to review the previous exercise to improve the upcoming camp.
“We will review the challenges faced during the last orientation exercise to enhance our performance in the upcoming exercise,” he added.
The DG further said that the scheme holds this exercise periodically to ensure the continuous improvement of the orientation course content to equip the corps members adequately for the enormous task of nation-building.
“We have carefully selected “Maintaining the Integrity of the Orientation Course in the Face of Competing Interests” as the theme for this workshop and we believe its relevance cannot be overstated.
“It reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect the orientation programme from negative influences while enhancing its positive impact on our corps members and the nation as a whole,” he added.
On his remarks, Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State represented by his deputy, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, thanked the management of the scheme for the review Workshop.
Sule added that NYSC is more than just a programme; ‘it is a cornerstone of our collective aspirations, supported by all stakeholders.
“We must continue to provide unwavering support to the scheme, building upon its myriad achievements across all sectors of national economic development,” he added.
The governor promised to support the robust effort of the DG towards enhancing the revenue based on the scheme to improve the efficiency of the training and mentorship for the corp members.
“In Nasarawa State, my administration places significant emphasis on Youth Development through skills acquisition, vocational and technical training, and the nurturing of agro-entrepreneurs.
“The Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational Centre stands as a testament to our commitment, which offers corps members valuable growth opportunities.
“We are dedicated to infrastructural development, creating an enabling environment for our youth to thrive in different sectors of the economy,” Sule added.
The workshop had in attendance the military and other security agencies, traditional rulers and other stakeholders involved in the orientation programme of the NYSC and featured paper presentations. (NAN).