President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has offered automatic
employment, Scholarship within Nigeria up to Doctorate level and cash awards of
N250,000 each, to a total of 210 ex-Corps Members drawn from 2020 – 2023
service years.
This number is comprised of 200 who went beyond the
call of duty to distinguish themselves in the course of their National Service,
with outstanding contributions in all the four cardinal programmes of the
Scheme, and 10 who sustained life-transforming injuries in the course of their
service year.
He directed the Head of Service of the Federation and
the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission to facilitate their employment
into the Federal Civil Service immediately.
The President unveiled the mouth-watering package
during the 2025 edition of the President’s NYSC Honours Award Ceremony, held at
the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Represented by the Minister of State for Labour and
Employment, Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, President Tinubu commended the
administration of General Yakubu Gowon for establishing NYSC in 1973, and the
successive leadership of the Scheme, as well as Corps Members who had
contributed to the development of Nigeria for the past 52 years.
He noted that the contributions of Corps Members to
national unity and development, particularly in the areas of agriculture,
education, and healthcare delivery, could not be overemphasised. The President
reiterated Government’s continuous support for NYSC.
President Tinubu similarly hailed the Scheme for its
aptly structured and impactful Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship
Development programme, which provided Corps Members with robust platform for
equipping themselves for self-reliance and job creation.
He said the government had instituted several
youth-related programmes in order to enable them make significant contributions
to the growth and economic advancement of the country.
The Overall best four awardees are; Nunaya Polycarp
Nunaya from Adamawa State who served in Kwara, Okpogbo Alvin Chinedu from Imo
State and served in Cross River, Dr Ugwa Obinna Mark from Abia State who served
in Cross River and Rabiu Quadri Mayokun from Osun State and served in Rivers
State.
The Overall best female awardees are; Akase Patience
Nguwasen from Benue but served in Gombe and Igwe Anne Chikaobi from Enugu State
and served in Sokoto.
In his address at the occasion, the Minister of Youth
Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande also hailed the contributions of Corps Members
to national unity and integration, economic advancement, rural growth,
educational improvement, free medicare for indigent Nigerians, among others.
He expressed appreciation to the President for his
support to the Ministry of Youth Development and NYSC.
The Scheme’s Director General, Brigadier General
Olakunle Nafiu said the President’s NYSC Honours Award Ceremony was an occasion
for National tribute to excellence, sacrifice and hope.
He stated that since the institution of the
President’s NYSC Honours Award Ceremony, the event had served as a solemn
recognition of Corps Members who demonstrated exceptional commitment to the
ideals of unity, patriotism, and nation-building.
General Nafiu saluted President Tinubu’s visionary
leadership which consistently paved the way for progressive youth development,
adding that under the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the NYSC had witnessed
increased support through strategic inclusion in government’s core development
architecture, citing the recent increase of Corps Members’ allowances from
N33,000 to N77,000, to support his claim.
Nafiu said the increase in Corps allowances had revitalised their commitment to
duty.
The NYSC Chief Executive added that “through
initiatives like the revitalised Nigerian Youth Investment Fund and the
National Talent Export Programme, Corps Members have greater access to
post-service funding and global tech opportunities”.
General Nafiu said the signing of the NYSC Trust Fund
bill, aimed at establishing a sustainable funding framework for the Scheme,
would play a transformational role in revamping existing infrastructure,
improving camp facilities, as well as support the welfare and post-service
reintegration of Corps members.
The Director General eulogized the Corps Members who
died in the course of serving their fatherland, adding that their names, deeds,
and legacies would not be forgotten.
He pledged that the founding ideals and enduring
legacy of the NYSC would remain intact, even as the Scheme undergoes the
much-needed reforms in tandem with prevailing trends in youth mentorship by the
dictates of national needs.
He disclosed that Corps Members had been supporting
national programmes such as elections and SDGs campaigns, among others.
The Director General also said NYSC deployed 6,340
Corps Medical Personnel, 2,319 of which were medical doctors, to take free
medical care to the doorstep of about 4 million indigent Nigerians in the
country’s rural communities, through NYSC’s Health Initiative For Rural
Dwellers (HIRD) programme in 2025.
Nafiu further disclosed that NYSC had restructured the
Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship
Development (SAED) programme ‘to incorporate more technology-driven and market
relevant training, adding that more Corps Members are willing to
embrace the programme as the Scheme equipped an average of 250,000 Corps
Members annually with various skills.
The 2025 edition of the NYSC President’s Honours Award
ceremony was attended by a cross section of Nigerians, including top government
functionaries, former Chief Executives of the NYSC, serving and retired
Directors of the Scheme.
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