Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Government has offered immediate employment to 168 outstanding members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who served in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.
President Muhammadu Buhari announced this Friday evening at an award ceremony which held on Friday at the State House Conference Center, Abuja.
Represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Buhari also announced automatic scholarships for the recipients of the awards to undertake postgraduate studies of their choice.
The event was attended by the former Head of State and founder of the NYSC, General Yakubu Gowon (retd).
One of the criteria used for the selection of winners was corps members who carried out community development services diligently and completed them.
Another measure was those whose community development projects had direct and positive impacts on the communities where they served, and those which were undertaken during the orientation course.
President Buhari said the reward was to encourage excellence among the youth.
“In line with our policy of encouraging and rewarding excellence among our youth, I hereby announce the immediate employment into the Federal Civil Service of all the Award winners and beneficiaries of the NYSC Hope Alive Programme.
“In addition, the Federal Government hereby offers each of you automatic scholarships up to Doctorate level in any Nigerian University of your choice.”
The president described the NYSC, which was established by in 1973 by the military government of General Yakubu Gowon, “as an indisputable national heritage,” which has contributed to “promote national integration and cohesion.”
According to him, the programme has become an important complement to national development, by making available manpower to meet Nigeria’s requirements in education, health, infrastructure development, and many other areas.
“The NYSC has from the beginning been about opportunities: opportunities for young Nigerians to serve, to earn a living, to travel, to see and learn about Nigeria beyond our comfort zones, and to build lifelong friendships.
“The important roles that young people, especially members of the NYSC played in ensuring the peaceful conduct of the 2015 and 2019 general elections offer clear evidence that when positively engaged in nation-building, our country stands to gain tremendously.”
The President noted that exceptional individuals in society are not necessarily those from the wealthiest homes or most fortunate circumstances.
“Indeed, they may be from the most humble circumstances and they may not even be the most academically successful of their peers.
“But they are the young men and women who somehow know that true greatness comes by serving others and our societies.”
According to him, the vision, innovation and hard work of one person could make a difference in the life of a community or a nation.
Buhari said this has been exemplified by the outstanding work of many of those who were rewarded at the event.
He further stated that “enduring individual success is a function of the courage and resilience we bring to our lives. I was challenged here by the remarkable courage of the Corp members who suffered various accidents while in service.”
President Buhari urged states and local governments to give greater support to the NYSC to enable it discharge its statutory obligations through the provision and upgrade of the permanent orientation camps, lodges for corps members and other welfare facilities.
Minister of Sports and Youth Development Solomon Dalung advised Nigerian youths to emulate the commitment and service of the honoured corps members by striving towards excellence in their endeavours.
The outgoing Director-General of the NYSC, Suleiman Kazaure, said corps members deployed in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 service years contributed immensely to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
He said corps members added value to communities where they served by their performance in key areas like education, health, agriculture and infrastructure.
The event was also used to present to the president 15 ex-corps members who suffered disabilities during their service in the Hope Alive Programme of the NYSC.