By Nkechi Eze
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has revealed that it has empowered a total of 58,933 Corps Members with various digital skills in its entrepreneurship drive towards youth empowerment over the past two years.
The Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this in his goodwill message at a retreat organized by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in Abuja. The retreat, themed “Achieving the Youth Focused Presidential Priorities and Deliverables”, brought together key stakeholders to assess progress and renew commitments towards national youth development.
In an official statement signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations of NYSC, Caroline Embu, the DG explained that the Scheme has continued to draw strength from the consistent support of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and the Federal Government, adding that NYSC has remained committed to the sixth priority area of the administration, which emphasizes education, health, and social investment as critical pillars of national growth.
General Nafiu noted that, as of the second quarter of 2025, a total of 56,013 Corps Members had been exposed to digital skills training through ICT programmes at orientation camps across the country. He further disclosed that the Scheme’s partnership with the Enterprise Development Centre has led to specialized digital skills training for 2,920 female Corps Members, demonstrating NYSC’s gender-inclusive approach to empowerment.
“NYSC has been contributing to one of the key deliverables of the sixth priority area, which is galvanizing the internal and external economies of scale for youth entrepreneurial sharpening through inter-agency engagements and collaboration,” the DG stated.
Highlighting ongoing collaborations, he said the Scheme would continue to strengthen its partnerships with institutions such as Access Bank, Unity Bank, Wema Bank, British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, NNPC Foundation/Kudimata, and Activate Success to enhance its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme. According to him, these partnerships, together with other initiatives, have boosted the Scheme’s contributions to the second deliverable of the administration’s priorities, which is improving employability and creating income-generating opportunities for Nigerian youths.
He revealed that the number of Corps Members benefiting from mentorship, apprenticeship, internship, and career development opportunities continues to rise, with 385,461 participants recorded in the SAED programme between June 2023 and the second quarter of 2025. “Through our public and private sector partners, 1,118 Corps Members were given financial support to start their businesses over the last two years,” he added.
On NYSC’s contributions to education and healthcare, General Nafiu explained that 574,000 Corps Members had been deployed to teaching assignments, particularly in rural schools, between June 2023 and September 2025. He further disclosed that 38,112 Corps Members had also been posted to health facilities across the country, with priority given to rural communities, resulting in improved access to quality healthcare services.
The DG also emphasized the impact of the NYSC Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers, which has provided medical outreaches to 49,839 Nigerians within the period under review. According to him, these interventions underscore the Scheme’s contributions towards the attainment of universal health coverage in Nigeria.
General Nafiu attributed the successes to the shared vision and commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government and pledged NYSC’s continued collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Development and other partners in driving initiatives that would accelerate national development.
In his own remarks at the event, the Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Ayodele Olawande, praised the progress made so far and urged Nigerian youths to take advantage of the Youth Help Desk established at the Ministry. He recalled that President Bola Tinubu had charged the Ministry to become a true place of hope and empowerment for the youth of the nation.
Olawande disclosed that, under his leadership, the Ministry has trained 15,509 youths on digital skills, surpassing the initial target of 10,000. He also noted that instead of the planned 80,000 beneficiaries for mentorship and career development, a total of 97,212 Nigerian youths had been reached.
“In crime reduction and peace building, we trained a total of 5,023, while the Nigerian Youth Academy (NIYA) has recorded over 250,000 Nigerian youths,” the Minister said. He emphasized the importance of speeding up operations of the National Youth Investment Fund in order to fast-track other initiatives and consolidate on the Ministry’s achievements.
The retreat served as an opportunity for stakeholders to showcase measurable achievements and renew their resolve towards delivering on presidential priorities for youth empowerment, with NYSC’s far-reaching interventions standing out as critical contributions to education, health, and entrepreneurship.
