From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The management of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has dismissed report claiming that military officers will benefit from the about-to-be assented NYSC Trust Fund.
In a statement signed by Eddy Megwa, Director, Press and Public Relations, the scheme maintained that the decision to institute the Trust Fund was solely the brainchild of relevant stakeholders without involvement of the military authorities.
“The decision to establish NYSC Trust Fund was conceived during a meeting held with some of the Scheme’s stakeholders; notably: the 36 State governments and FCT Administration. It was thereafter strongly supported by civil societies, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) as well as Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).
“Primarily, the Fund is purposed to address the infrastructural deficit besetting the Scheme in the area of camp renovation and maintenance; upgrading, building and maintenance of Corps Members’ Lodges, among others.
“Statutorily, the Scheme as it were, has a tripartite funding arrangement – the Federal, State and Local Governments, with each having varying degree of responsibilities.
“Over the years, the Scheme has equally partnered governmental and non-governmental institutions in the area of providing start-up capitals to corps members to fund their business initiatives under the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme which is a direct answer to the often asked rhetorical question: After the NYSC what next?.
“The Trust Fund will provide funds to a greater percentage of Corps Members trained under the NYSC Skill Acquisition programme to start-up their businesses.
“It is appropriate to clarify that the Fund which passed public hearing, with civil societies, the academia, among others, fully represented is not a pool of slush fund meant to gratify the financial cravings of top military officers as erroneously stated by the writer of the story,” the statement read.