Corps Members Can Raise Business Capital From NYSC Trust Fund After Service – DG

The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig. Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, has said that the scheme’s proposed Trust Fund will provide funds to outgoing corps members to help them start up businesses in line with the skills they acquired during its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme.

The DG said this while addressing prospective corps members during a visit to the Kubwa Orientation Camp, Abuja.

The scheme had proposed the establishment of a Trust Fund to support corps members engaged in SAED with business start-up capital.

However, the NYSC has been unable secure funds to kick off the trust fund and has been engaging stakeholders in various sectors,to explore the possibility of establishing the fund with their support.

“Efforts are in top gear with other stakeholders for the establishment of the NYSC Trust Fund. This is to make funds available to you as you exit the service, to establish businesses in line with the skills you acquired during the NYSC SAED programme,” Ibrahim said.

He said the Fund will also be used to build new camps and maintain existing ones.

“If actualized, the Trust Fund will also be used to build new orientation camps, expand the existing camps, maintain camp facilities among other priorities,” he said.

The NYSC had also reportedly submitted a formal proposal to the Federal Government requesting its support for the initiative by presenting a bill at the National Assembly on the establishment of an NYSC Trust Fund.

The DG urged the corps members to continue with the post-camp training of the NYSC-SAED programme and strive to become employers of labour rather than “seeking for the unavailable salaried jobs”.

He said corps members who redeployed from one state to another during their service year and corps members who were caght with any infraction, were not eligible for the President’s Annual Award.

“You will be accessed in all the four cardinal programmes of the scheme before you will be presented for the NYSC President’s Honours Award.

“The programmes include orientation course, primary assignment, community development service, and winding up and passing out,” he said.