Brig.-Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged corps members to adopt entrepreneurship mentality to be self reliant after service and to attain financial independence.
Kazaure made the call while addressing the 2017 Batch ‘B’ Stream 1 corps members deployed to Ogun at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Sagamu on Thursday.
The director-general, who was represented by Mrs Adetokunbo Idowu, a director in the NYSC, said the scheme had adopted some innovations to ensure that corps members were better engaged after their service.
Kazaure also advised corps members to develop their potential for entrepreneurship excellence rather than seeking for scarce white-collar jobs.
Kazaure also called on them to utilise the opportunity provided by the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme to acquire additional skills for self-employment.
“The NYSC has provided all the tools and support you need to develop your capacity to the fullest, it depends on you, there is no short cut to success but hard work.
“Of all the programmes outlined for you during the orientation, there is none more important that you must fully participate in than the SAED programme.
“I want you to create your own jobs by being creative and innovative, you must strive to be labour employers rather than labour seekers.
“Please don’t look for white-collar jobs, your skills and potential can serve you better in the way of realising your dreams,” he said.
Kazaure said that SAED programme was packaged through a partnership with public and private sector organisations toward building an entrepreneurial capacity.
He also urged corps members to remain in their states of deployment and contribute toward the promotion of national unity rather than seeking redeployment back home.
Also speaking, Mr John Okpo, the Ogun NYSC Coordinator, thanked Kazaure for the visit.
“We will continue to deploy corps members to all identified areas of needs, especially the rural communities where we shall implement advocacy programmes of interest,” Okpo said.
About 2,442 corps members, comprising 1,270 males and 1,172 females, are participating in the orientation programme in the state.
