The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Ondo State Coordinator, Mrs. Grace Akpabio, has asserted that the future is bright if the youths can embrace the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, SAED, programme of the scheme.
Akpabio stated this on Friday during the Inter-Platoon Competition/Exhibition to draw the curtains on the SAED activities at the 2020 Batch ‘B’ (Stream 1A) orientation course.
Mrs. Akpabio said that corps members should never be apprehensive of what the future held for them because the benefits of SAED was enough to put food on their table and make them independent.
“My dear children in the national service, it is no longer a cliche when we say you are the leaders of today. NYSC has developed a SAED programme since 2012 which is generally acceptable to the corps participants and stakeholders to empower our youths and make them self reliant and employers of labour.
“Let me tell you, the era of getting white collar or paid jobs is over and the Coronavirus pandemic has worsened the economic activities around the globe and only those who are ready to face the challenges head on will have the last laugh.
“Your parents and loved ones who had invested heavily on you are happy that you have gone for the mandatory one year service to the nation. They believed this is the payback time for you to remember them. They would be disappointed if you are asking them for money and the only way to be independent is to acquire additional skills during the orientation and perfect such during the service year.
“NYSC has gone into partnership with credible and reputable trainers who are selfless and are ready to impact on you necessary skills to make you future entrepreneurs and captains of both small and medium scale businesses,” she said.
The NYSC boss charged the corps members not to fold their arms and expect the government to do everything for them, which according to her was an impossible task because of the various interests the government would have to contend with.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Assistant Director/Head, Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, Mrs. Itohan Ehimwenma, thanked the trainers and sponsors for the huge investment on the vibrant youths in the society.
“I want to use this platform to sincerely appreciate all our trainers and sponsors for the humongous sacrifices they have made without which the ingenuity and creativity we are seeing today would have been a mirage,” she said.
Mrs. Ehimwenma admonished the corps members to justify the huge investment placed at their disposal by the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, and the partners who collaborated with the scheme to give them a future.
At the end of the competition/exhibition, corps member Ango Jimoh Eric, OD/20B/0391 came first in Fashion Designing while Ojobor Chinenye, OD/20B/0042 and Akinsola Oluwatoyosi Olaniyi, OD/20B/0266 came tops in Make-over & Gele tying and Barbing respectively.
