The Lagos State Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr. Eddy Megwa, yesterday called on the federal government to approve the NYSC trust fund, as it will go a long way to sustain the financial requirements of the scheme.
Megwa, who made this know during a media chat, emphasised on the impact corps members are making on the economy, saying the approval of the trust fund will further boost their morale to be job creators.
According to him, “We know that the number of corps members coming into the scheme keeps increasing. At inception, it was just 2,000 plus. This number is what the scheme mobilises for a state for a particular orientation now. Even then, they were eager to go for youth service because the jobs were there, but now, the jobs are not there.
“At the peak of the COVID, we introduced the skills acquisition programme, when the corps members started producing facemasks and hand sanitisers. They also went to raise funds from their allowance to buy food stuff for distribution to people. It is about them making impact on the society. Skills acquisition is what is driving the scheme, without it, our society will be in big mess,” he stressed.
He also expressed concern about the unemployment rate in the country, saying that by the time the scheme churns out over 400,000 corps members every year, only 5,000 are able to get pensionable jobs.
“What will happen to the remaining graduates? Will they be at home folding their arms? Before you know it, they would have become bandits. If you listen to the refine English spoken by bandits, you will know that these are graduates.”
He disclosed that 30 per cent of the corps members who passed out recently already have businesses of their own, saying once they get into the camps, they are given orientation into different kinds of skill sets to raise consciousness.
Megwa, however, expressed concern about some graduates who find their way into the scheme, yet cannot express themselves in proper English, saying: “They will spend three or four months in a foreign institution, and come back with a certificate to mobilise for the youth service. But once you give them a paper and biro to write an application, you will marvel at what they write. Even when you are asking them questions in English, they will answer you in pidgin English.”
The coordinator regretted that when such people are posted to schools to teach, they lack the substance to teach effectively.
