Our Reporter, Bauchi

Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged corps members to be entreprising and engage in gainful activities to enhance employment generation in the country.

Ibrahim made the call on Tuesday during the swearing in ceremony of 2021 Batch “C” Stream 1 corps members at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Wailo, Ganjuwa Local Government Area of the state.

The DG, represented by Mr Baba Ladan, Director, NYSC North-East Area Office, Bauchi, called on the corps members to embrace the scheme’s Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme to become employers of labour.

He said the call was imperative in view of the lack of white collar jobs, adding that the scheme focused at empowering corps members to become self-employed and enhance wealth creation.

“It is no longer news that white collar jobs are hard to come by.

“For this reason, the empowerment of corps members for self-employment and wealth creation has been a major area of focus for the Scheme since 2012.

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“You will from this moment be availed of that opportunity through SAED.

“I am happy to inform you that many of your predecessors, who embraced vocational and entrepreneurial training on the SAED platform, are now successful business owners.

“Therefore, I encourage you to stay off the long queue of job seekers by choosing from the various skill sets and participate fully in the training sessions,” he said.

According to him, the orientation course will prepare the corps members physically and mentally for their expected role in the development of their fatherland.

He said that it would also equip them for the realisation of their potentials and attainment of individual feats both within the period of service year and beyond.

The D-G admonished the corps members to actively participate in all the programmes designed for them as well as ensuring effective utilisation of the social media to promote unity in the country.

While calling on the corps members to shun cultism, drug abuse and other social vices, Ibrahim enjoined them to comply with the COVID-19 prevention protocols throughout the orientation period.

“In particular, you must ensure physical distancing and wearing of face masks as well as make good use of hand washing facilities provided at strategic locations, among other safety measures.”

Ibrahim lauded the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), for ensuring safe and efficient conduct of the orientation course.

The D-G also commended the Federal, State and Local Governments as well as Security Agencies, community leaders and other stakeholders for ensuring security and general welfare of corps members.

In his remarks, Alhaji Namadi Abubakar, the State Coordinator, of NYSC, said that 1,347 corps members, comprising 870 males and 477 females were deployed to the state.

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Abubakar said that since the opening of the camp on Oct. 20, 2021, the corps members had demonstrated higher sense of discipline, commitment and zeal towards the realisation of the objectives of the exercise.

Justice Rabi Talatu, the Chief Judge of the state administered the oath to the corps members. She was represented by Justice Sa’ad Sambowal, at the event.