Ilorin – National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), said it would assist corps members to secure soft loans ranging from N500, 000 to N2m to start their own business.
Director General of NYSC, Brig. Gen. Johnson Olawumi announced this to newsmen during a visit to the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Yikpata, Kwara, on Thursday.
He said the scheme had entered into partnership with the Bank of Industries and Heritage Bank.
He added that arrangement with Bank of Industries had been finalized while that of Heritage Bank would soon be finalized.
The DG said 1,000 corps members would be trained in six locations across the country on skills acquisition.
“Within the training period, corps members would be taken through whatever skills they have already and given better training on how to submit business plans/proposals”, he said.
Olawumi said the conditions attached to the loans were very favourable and would attract nine percent interest.
According to the DG, the loan would be payable between three to five years with a moratorium of six months to allow the business to develop.
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“More importantly, corps members don’t need to bring any landed property, it is a special package for them, the only collateral they need to display is their NYSC Certificates which we will hold on to until they finish payment”, he said.
Addressing the corps members, Olawumi charged them to always be patriotic and loyal to the country as they have no other country except Nigeria.
“Nigeria is our country, you must guide it jealously, no other country to call our own, Nigeria is going to be great.
“You must remain loyal and patriotic, take pride to respect the National Flag and the National Anthem, you must be proud of your country”, he added.
Olawumi assured them that their security was very paramount as the scheme would do everything to ensure that they were adequately secured at all times.
He donated ten cows for the feeding of the corps members as a way of enhancing their welfare on camp and also donated one cow for their camp fire night.
The DG also announced that a new ambulance would be procured for the camp either before the close of the camp or during the stream two orientation course.
He promised that NYSC would continue to improve on the conditions of infrastructure in the camp.
Earlier, the State Coordinator of the scheme, Mr Etim Enyenihi, appealed to the DG for a new ambulance, to complement the one donated by the Ministry of Health.
He told the DG that the camp was facing acute shortage of water.
Enyenihi also made a case for additional hostel to solve the problem of inadequate accommodation at the orientation camp.
The coordinator informed Olawumi that the camp was very porous as there was no perimeter fencing.
He, therefore, appealed to the DG to assist in fencing the camp to enhance the security of the corps members. (NAN)
