The director-general of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme, Brigadier General Yisha’u Dogara Ahmed has asserted that the gains enmeshed in participating in the national programme cannot be quantified.
General Ahmed who was impressed with the reception accorded him at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Ikare-Akoko stated this while addressing the 2023 Batch ‘C’ (Stream II) corps members.
He listed the gains to include leadership training right from the orientation course, Mentoring, Human capacity building, exposure to topical national issues throughout the service year, accessibility to credible information about the nation, empowerment development programmes through the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, varied opportunities that will open a new vista of life to them, knowing the country through deployment outside one’s geopolitical zone, cultural integration and many other more.
The NYSC boss who disclosed that without the objectives of the laudable scheme, he would not have been to the Southwest geopolitical zone, described the programme as a unifier and a platform that has sustained the unity of the country.
“My patriotic Corps Members, NYSC has laid a solid foundation for the unity of this country and you should count yourselves lucky to have been given the privilege to participate in the program. I did my mandatory national service in Osun State where I was posted to Iree for my primary assignment. I can tell you that the period of the service made me fall in love with the local food and I want to tell you that yam flower with ewedu and begin (bean soup) remains my favorite meal to date”.
The director general said the NYSC service year brought him to the Southwest geopolitical zone for the first time, describing the experience as a watershed in his life that kindled the zeal for patriotism in him.
