THE Director-General of National Youth Service Corps will be confered with Daily Sun’s Public Service Award.
The Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Daily Sun Newspaper, Mr Onuoha Ikeh disclosed this today when he led some management team of the media outfit on a courtesy visit to the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters in Abuja.
The MD who said the award was instituted in 2003 to honour Nigerians who have done well in different fields of human endeavour added that many Distinguished Nigerians had been confered with the award in different categories over the years.
He said Brigadier General lbrahim was selected for the award by the Board of Editors of the media outfit based on his pedgree and laudable innovations since his assumption of office as the eighteenth Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps in May, 2019.
“Your selection for the award was based on merit because of your outstanding achievements in piloting the affairs of the NYSC as the eighteenth Director-General, you have made giant strides through your five point policy thrust.
We note that you have taken steps towards re-invigorating the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, you have also renewed the commitment of Bank of Industry towards the resucitation of empowerment of Corps Members.
You have initiated and sustained new collaboration with NIRSAL Microfinance Bank on empowerment of Corps Entrepreneurs, as well as opening of a new partnership with Unity Bank plc.
You have collaborated with British American Tobacco Foundation on the empowerment of Corps Members with agricultural skills and business trainings, farm internship, mentoring and farm input supply”, he said.
Onuoha also commended the Director-General for resuscitating the NYSC Water Factory and Bakery in Abuja and the on-going construction of the NYSC North-Cenral Skill Acquisition Centre in Keffi.
He listed the acquisition of modern farm implements for the NYSC Farms located at Kwali Abuja, Dungulbi Bauchi State, Samikaka in Kebbi State, and Iseyin in Oyo State, among other notable achievements as part of the criteria for the award.
“You have made a tremendous impact in the public service and by so doing contributing to good governance”, he said.
He added that the prestigious Sun Award ceremony is slated for October, and will be held in Lagos.
NYSC Director-General in his response thanked the Sun Newspaper for giving balanced reportage to NYSC activities and also sensitising the public on the Scheme’s programmes.
He said the award would spur him to add more impetus in his service to humanity.
He disclosed that up till date, there is no COVID-19 positive case in any of the NYSC Orientation Camps across the country as only those that are negative are registered in camps while positive cases are taken away for treatment by the NCDC and State Health officials.
He said the NYSC/NCDC partnership has helped the NCDC and Presidential Steering Committee on data analysis on COVID-19 nationwide as the prospective Corps members come from all the States of the Federation.
He said NYSC was established for the promotion of national unity and integration, but the Scheme has added entrepreneurship training to its Orientation Course programme for youth empowerment.
General lbrahim said the dearth of white collar jobs has made many graduates unemployed and in a bid to reduce graduate unemployment, “we decided to introduce Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development as an alternative to empower Corps Members with skills.
Ibrahim also reiterated his appeal for the establishment of NYSC Trust Fund that would make start-up capital available to all the Corps Members as they exit service in order to kick-start their businesses.
“We earnestly solicit the support of the Sun Newspaper to sensitise Nigerians in this regard”, General lbrahim said.
