NEWS
Entrepreneurship: FG Earmarks N10m Each for 5,000 Corps Members
The Federal Government says it plans to empower at least 5,000 Corps members with N10 million each to fund their entrepreneurial ventures upon passing out of the NYSC scheme.
The Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jamila Ibrahim, revealed this on Monday in Abuja, during the opening ceremony of the maiden meeting of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) management with heads of Corps Producing Institutions (CPI) in Nigeria.
According to her, this is in line with the proposed NYSC reforms which will take place soon, adding that it was different from the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund programme for 2024.
“I will be inaugurating a team to undertake the review, restructuring and reforms of the NYSC.
“The thrust of these reforms will be centred on imbuing participants with an entrepreneurship mindset and making skills development the core of the programme.
“Though that is already part of the objectives carried out by the scheme, the aim is to partner with it to strengthen the mandate.
“How do we make the scheme more efficient, more effective and more beneficial to both the nation and the Corps members?
“So, we envision a future where the NYSC programme is not only self-sustaining, but also a revenue generating programme within the next five years.
“To achieve this, we will institutionalise the NYSC ventures as an investment and asset management outfit,” she said.
The minister said that this would enable the Federal Government to leverage and properly manage the vast assets of the NYSC and make strategic investments in various sectors.
She listed the sectors to include agriculture, manufacturing, garment making, communication and Digital Banking.
She said that the initiative underscored the commitment of the present administration to invest in youth-led entrepreneurial ventures as a step towards youth contribution to Nigeria’s journey towards a trillion dollar economy.
“The National Youth Skills programme will play a pivotal role in these reforms. While typically a 12-month programme this year, we’ll start a six months abridged version.
“We expect the ventures funded to emerge from this programme in various strategic sectors driving innovation and economic growth,” she added.
Ibrahim urged the participants, as the custodians of higher education in Nigeria, to bear the profound responsibility of nurturing the intellectual, moral and civic capacity of the nation’s youth.
The Director-General of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed, said that the decision to initiate the direct interface with Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts came as a result of the scheme’s desire to elicit more decisive actions regarding the roles of their institutions in the mobilisation process.
He said that the meeting was aimed at creating strategies for the elimination of identified flaws and ensuring a more seamless mobilisation process.
“Over the years, we have thoroughly examined the process and identified avoidable problems while constructive engagements with relevant stakeholders have led to a number of resolutions aimed at addressing them.
“However, some CPIs are not doing enough on the implementation of these decisions.
“We have also observed that the delegation of the roles of principal officers of some institutions to their subordinates is partly responsible for the shortfalls and abuses that have bedeviled the mobilisation process, including the presentation of unqualified persons for enlistment.
“I am, therefore, confident that this meeting will elicit greater commitment from these highly respected stakeholders,” he said.
While declaring the meeting open, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, said the need for adoption of innovative strategies to surmount challenges and enhance best practices for the engagement of young graduates in national development efforts could not be over-emphasised
Wike, represented by the Mandate Secretary, Women and Children Affairs, FCT Administration, Mrs Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, added that it was gratifying that the scheme was focused on enhancing the efficiency of its operation.
This, he said, was through the adoption of technology-driven approaches in data collation and processing for mobilisation and deployment purposes.
“I encourage you to continue to optimise the IT solutions for accuracy and greater efficiency. I am aware that this meeting is maiden and a crucial step in addressing critical issues pertaining to the effective implementation of operational policies of the scheme.
“I commend the decision of the NYSC to periodically bring critical stakeholders together for brainstorming on the best strategies for greater success, which aligns perfectly with the contemporary global best practices for achieving desired results,” he said.
The minister urged them to participate actively and offer insightful contributions, adding that he was confident that the all-important engagement would pave way for a more responsive, efficient, and impactful NYSC. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The founders and Senior Pastors of Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), Dr. Paul and Dr. (Mrs.) Becky Enenche, have successfully trained and empowered 100 individuals in agribusiness as part of their commitment to youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and economic development.
Dr.
Paul Enenche made the announcement during the church’s Thanksgiving and Testimony Service on Sunday, highlighting the initiative as a strategic effort to promote self-reliance and agricultural productivity.According to the cleric, each beneficiary will be allocated at least one hectare of farmland to commence farming activities upon completion of the training programme.
He further disclosed that the beneficiaries will receive monthly stipends to support them until their agricultural produce is ready for harvest.Dr. Enenche noted that the training and empowerment programme represents a significant investment, with each participant’s training costing approximately ₦500,000.
The beneficiaries, who constitute Batch A of the Entrepreneurship Agribusiness Training Programme, graduated from the C.S.S. Farm and Skills Acquisition Centre located along the Keffi–Abuja Road. The entire programme was fully sponsored by Dr Paul,Dr (Mrs.) Becky Enenche and the church as part of their ongoing efforts to empower individuals with practical skills and sustainable means of livelihood.
The initiative reflects the church’s commitment to transforming lives through both spiritual and socio-economic empowerment.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has reaffirmed the commission’s neutrality ahead of the 2027 general election, saying INEC has no candidate or political party to favour.
In a post obtained from INEC’s X handle on Sunday, Amupitan stated this during a visit to the Emir of Zazzau, Amb.
Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, as part of the commission’s stakeholder engagement and preparations for the 2027 elections.The visit formed part of activities surrounding INEC’s planned interactive meeting with staff and readiness assessment at the zonal level.
The INEC chairman was accompanied by National Commissioners, the Acting Director-General of the Electoral Institute, his Chief Press Secretary, Chief Technical Assistant, Chief of Staff, Special Aides and other senior officials of the commission.
Amupitan described traditional institutions as important stakeholders in the electoral process because of their influence and reach within communities.
He said elections were fundamentally about the social contract between citizens and those entrusted with public office, stressing that public trust was essential to the success of democracy.
According to him, INEC has commenced preparations early because of the size and complexity of conducting elections across Nigeria.
He said the commission had moved away from last-minute preparations and was testing, auditing and strengthening its operational systems well ahead of the 2027 polls.
Amupitan assured the Emir that INEC remained committed to neutrality, fairness and transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have no candidates, we have no political party, we have no interest other than the sovereign will of the people of Nigeria,” the INEC chairman said.
He added that the commission would continue engaging traditional institutions and other stakeholders as it intensifies preparations for the 2027 General Election.
The Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS), Kano State Command, has deployed personnel to Garko Local Government Area to track and contain dogs suspected to be infected with rabies.
The service said the suspected rabid dog had bitten 18 people in Garko and its environs.
The NFSS State Commander, Abdullahi Al’ameen, disclosed this in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the service, Usman Abdullahi-Umar, on Sunday in Kano.
Al’ameen said: “The command received a distress report at about 2 p.m. that a dog suspected to be rabid has attacked residents in Garko town.
“The dog has so far bitten 11 persons in Garko town before moving to neighbouring communities, including Raba, Kadage, Gurjiya and Dausai.
“It has also attacked and bitten seven additional persons in the affected communities.”
The commander further explained that they had received another report that two more dogs had been infected with rabies in the area.
Al’ameen said personnel of NFSS Garko Division, under the leadership of the Divisional Forest Officer, Auwalu Muhammad, had been deployed to the affected areas to track and contain the infected dogs.
He urged residents of Garko and neighbouring communities to remain vigilant and report sightings of stray or suspected rabid dogs to the nearest NFSS office or other security agencies.
The commander also advised residents who might have been bitten by suspected rabid dogs to seek immediate medical attention.
Al’ameen assured residents that the NFSS would continue to monitor the situation and take necessary measures to prevent further attacks.(NAN)
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