By Nkechi Eze
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is driving youth entrepreneurship and self-reliance in Nigeria, equipping graduates with vocational and entrepreneurial skills to address the nation’s persistent unemployment challenge. This was the assertion of the NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, during a briefing for Group 2 members of the Senior Executive Course 48, 2026, of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru-Jos, who visited the NYSC Directorate Headquarters on a study tour.
According to Caroline Embu, Director of Information and Public Relations at NYSC, General Nafiu revealed that between 2019 and 2025, the Scheme trained a total of 1,391,119 young graduates in various vocational skills under its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme. Introduced in 2012, SAED aims “to enable Nigerian youths acquire the spirit of self-reliance by encouraging them to develop skills for self-employment,” he noted.
Highlighting the foresight of the NYSC’s founding fathers, Nafiu explained that while white-collar jobs were plentiful at the time of the Scheme’s inception, today’s economy offers far fewer opportunities. “Thankfully, the NYSC Act mandates us to empower Corps members with entrepreneurial skills that will make them not just self-sufficient, but also employers of labour,” he said.
The NYSC DG expressed appreciation to government agencies and partner organizations that provide technical and funding support, including soft loans, grants, and start-up kits for young entrepreneurs. He also called on NIPSS to support advocacy for the establishment of the NYSC Trust Fund, noting that the Bill has already been passed by the National Assembly and awaits presidential assent.
“With the Trust Fund, every Corps member who completes the SAED training will have access to adequate capital to start their chosen business at the end of the service year,” Nafiu said.
The study tour included a documentary presentation showcasing the success stories of Corps members who have benefited from the SAED programme.
Professor Ayo Omotayo, Director General of NIPSS, who led the tour, commended NYSC’s contribution to reducing youth unemployment. He noted that the tour, guided by the theme “Economic Diversification and National Development: Leveraging Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Growth and Development,” would inform participants’ recommendations to the federal government on tackling unemployment.
“We deliberately chose NYSC for this study tour, having closely monitored your trajectory in youth empowerment,” Omotayo said, adding that part of the group’s recommendations would focus on enhancing the Scheme’s capacity to deliver on its mandate.
