FG To Deploy 300 NYSC Members As CNG Technicians

The Federal Government says 300 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members will be trained, certified, and deployed to compressed natural gas conversion centres across the country as technicians, as part of efforts to drive Nigeria’s transition to cleaner and more affordable energy.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Monitoring and Delivery, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi, disclosed this at the opening of the CNG Retrofitting Training Programme for corps members at the NYSC FCT Orientation Camp in Kubwa, Abuja.

According to a statement posted on the NYSC Facebook page on Wednesday, Gbadamosi said the training will be rolled out across the six geopolitical zones and is designed to position Nigerian youths at the centre of the national CNG rollout.

She said the programme is targeted at retrofitting 100,000 vehicles annually, in line with the target set by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu following the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023, with CNG identified as the most viable and affordable alternative for motorists.

“Following the removal of the fuel subsidy in 2033, compressed natural gas (CNG) emerged as the most viable and affordable alternative for Nigerian motorists and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu set a national target of 100,000 vehicles to be retrofitted annually.

“The National Automotive and Development Council (NADD) has committed its technical authority in certification standard and full funding to this effort,” Gbadamosi said.

She added that the National Automotive Design and Development Council has committed its technical authority, certification standards and full funding to support the initiative, and that the 300 corps members would be attached to different CNG centres after certification.

Also speaking, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the introduction of CNG training for corps members would expand job opportunities and entrepreneurship prospects beyond their service year.

He urged them to take full advantage of the training and assured them of the ministry’s continued support for youth empowerment and enterprise development.

Olawande also called on corps members to help change the narrative by embracing cheaper and sustainable energy, and by using the skills gained to complement their academic qualifications.

On his part, the Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, said the initiative reflects strong inter-agency collaboration and the scheme’s commitment to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He noted that the scheme is ready to support Nigeria’s energy transition and has trained more than three million corps members in various skills since 2012.

Nafiu described the CNG retrofitting training as part of efforts to support a one trillion dollar innovation-driven economy, adding that the programme is carefully designed to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application.

He said the NYSC is open for business and that, together with partners, it can build a robust and innovative economy powered by the energy, ingenuity and enterprise of Nigeria’s young people.