ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday approved automatic employment for NYSC award winners not yet employed in batches 2012, 2013 and 2014, and has also given automatic scholarships to those who want to proceed immediately to acquire their masters and doctorate degrees levels.
He made the announcement at the combined 2012, 2013 and 2014 President’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Honours Award ceremony held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
At the ceremony he also warned the Director General of NYSC and the Ministers of Finance and Youth Development that this would be the last time he would preside over combined presidential award ceremonies, saying the combined ceremony was denying the corps members of the benefits of the awards especially for those who would want to further their studies.
A total of 164 corps members were awarded; 55 from 2012 years year, 52 from 2013 service year and 57 from the 2014 service year.
In the same vein, nine corps members all of them in the 2013 service year, who became disabled and disfigured during their service year, have through the NYSC Hope Alive Initiative, been given cash awards, grants totally N23. 5 million as well as employment, to enable them pick up the pieces of their lives after the tragedies that struck them.
The nine corps members are Susan Uwouku from Benue State; Alade Bukola Olawaseun from Ekiti State; Hunsu Oluwafemi Emmanuel from Lagos State; Igheghe Ijeoma from Delta State, and Akinrujomi Folarin from Ondo State.
Others are Nwagbara Eberechi from Rivers State; Kayode Funke, Samuel Nggada and Samuel Abigail from Oyo State.
A break down of the cash awards shows that N5 million from Ibeto Group went one of the corps member whose condition prevented her from attending the ceremony, to help her treatment, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio gave all nine members N5 million, while Heritage Bank gave N1.5 million each to all nine members and 30 automatic employment to others.
President Jonathan who said the Hope Alive Programme was very dear to him, commended the NYSC for the initiative that seeks to identify and recognize Corp members who had the misfortune of becoming physically challenged as a result of injuries they sustained in the course of their National Service to their fatherland.
According to him, “The concern demonstrated by the NYSC in identifying and recommending some of them for appointment into the Federal Civil Service, while also assisting others financially, to enable them cater for their needs, is highly commendable. We must take care of the needy without hesitation.
“The prompt response and pragmatism with which the Scheme addresses issues of national emergencies has also been demonstrated in the way it has successfully keyed into the global campaign against the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease.
“We are proud of the NYSC’s contribution which put in place appropriate awareness strategies about the disease, in our rural communities through the NYSC combating Ebola Virus disease programme.”
The President noted the laudable corporate social responsibility and uncommon concern for youth development displayed by some banks through the offer of automatic employment to the awardees.
He said, “Let me seize this opportunity to appeal to other Corporate Organisations to emulate this laudable initiative as the expertise of these distinguished Nigerians should be utilised by both public and private sectors.
“Once again, I congratulate all awardees on your well merited recognition and honour. The entire nation salutes the determination, courage, discipline, commitment and hard work, which you all exhibited during the service year.
“In line with our policy of encouraging our youths to always strive for excellence, including serving and prospective Corps members, I hereby announce immediate employment of the award winners in the Federal Civil Service, as well as automatic scholarship up to Doctorate level in any University of their choice across the globe. I urge you to always be good ambassadors of this great country, and we shall continue to look up to you for greater vision and accomplishments”, he said.
In his address, the Minister of Youth Development, Boni Haruna, said that the enthusiasm, hardwork demonstrated by the corps members represents a new realm in the service. He said the award will spur them to be more patriotic and serve the nation well.
He encouraged other youths to strive towards excellence in all their endeavours, urging them to shun violence, cultism and other vices as the pure into the society to fend for themselves.
Earlier, the Director General NYSC, Brig. Gen. Johnson Bamidele Olawunmi, said the scheme instituted in 1974 was designed as a means of rewarding corps members for exceptional performance during the one year national service.
“The award aims to encourage corps members towards higher societal ideals through selfless services to their host communities. While the award emphasises team work, commitment, loyalty and devotion to duty, it also recognizes excellence in behaviour and performance among corps members”.
He said the new programme, NYSC Hope Alive Initiative, which is public private partnership (PPP) is to bring succour to Corp members who became disabled during their service.
According to him, “Such hope will be through the provision of necessary traing and start off grant to them in their chosen skills. It is also to give hope to future corps members, that the scheme and indeed this great nation will not abandon those who may suffer similar fate in the course of national service”.
A new programme on skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development introduced in 2012, aimed at transforming corps members into entrepreneurs, has so far, he said, trained 410,821 corps members in 12 different skills cutting across agro-allied, automobile, cosmetology, photography, ICT, tourism, construction and horticulture.
He said the MDGs War Against Poverty programme has also trained 4,273 Corp members were 3,706 were empowered through soft loans to establish their agro-businesses.
The DG NYSC said some of the beneficiaries of the training programmes have also taken advantage of other government programmes like Youth Empowerment programme (YouWin), Graduate Internship
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
Scheme (GIS), Nigeria Entrepreneurship Development Programme (NEDEP), Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP), Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) among others.
He said Nigeria won the 2013 Most Outstanding Contribution Award in the United Nations “My World Survey” through the Community Development Service Programe of the NYSC scheme.
He said the major challenge of the scheme has been inadequate camp facilities to cater for increasing corps population. He said the management was working out strategies to reposition the scheme in view of the increasing population and dwinglding resources.
The names of the overall best for each year are: for 2012, Ikeakor Onyin Chizaram from Anambra and served Plateau; 2013, Jacob Williams Okpe from Kogi and served in Adamawa; and 2014, Ojii Scholastica Chinenye from Enugu and served in Rivers State.
The National Council for Women Societies also gave awards backed with cash to the best female awardee in each of the year. For 2012 is Ikudehinbu Oluwaferanmi Justina, from Ondo State and served in Abia; for 2013 is Ikeakor Onyinye Chizaram from Anambra and served in Plateau; 2014 Ojii Scholastica Chinenye from Enugu and served in Rivers. The award was presented by President of NCWS, Mrs Nkechi Mba,
To date, a total of 1,158 corps members have been awarded since the award was instituted since inception.