By Nkechi Eze
Olam Nigeria Limited has proposed a partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to promote aquaculture development and empower Corps Members with skills and opportunities for entrepreneurship.
The General Manager of Olam Nigeria Limited, Mrs Morenike Alayerogun, made the proposal when she led a delegation of the company on a courtesy visit to the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
According to an official statement signed by Caroline Embu, Director, Information and Public Relations, NYSC, Alayerogun said the partnership would leverage Olam’s expertise and existing agricultural investments to provide Corps Members with practical knowledge and opportunities in aquaculture.
She disclosed that about 200 Corps Members were currently serving with Olam in various fields, adding that the company remained committed to supporting the Federal Government’s efforts in nation-building, youth development and mentorship.
Alayerogun said Olam had completed what she described as the biggest research and development institute for aquaculture in Ilorin, Kwara State, while another factory was under construction in Asaba, Delta State.
She added that the company had established partnerships with universities across the country to strengthen aquaculture development and planned to bring specialists from the institutions to Ilorin for a one-year training programme.
According to her, the specialists would subsequently be attached to farmers across the country to provide the technical support needed to improve the productivity and sustainability of their aquaculture businesses.
She therefore sought the deployment of more Corps Members to Olam’s farm operations, particularly in Kwara State, as part of the proposed collaboration.
The Olam General Manager also proposed that the company and NYSC train more Corps Members who could subsequently receive support from the Bank of Industry (BoI) to establish their own businesses.
“We will accommodate and feed them, and after one year, we will attach them to our farmers all over the nation,” she said.
Alayerogun said Olam was also ready to support the Federal Government’s agenda of growing the Nigerian economy to a one-trillion-dollar economy.
Responding, the NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, said unemployment remained a global challenge affecting young people, stressing the need to equip youths with relevant skills and opportunities for self-reliance.
Nafiu noted that agribusiness remained an important component of the Nigerian economy, making Olam’s agricultural activities and proposed partnership with the NYSC particularly relevant.
He commended Olam for its contributions to the Nigerian economy, especially its efforts to empower Corps Members, and urged Corps Employers to ensure that young Nigerians deployed to their organisations were meaningfully engaged.
The NYSC DG said the Scheme frowned at the misuse and underutilisation of Corps Members, stressing that employers should use the service year to add value to their professional development.
“We want to thank you for the value addition to our Corps Members,” Nafiu said.
He disclosed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be required to define the responsibilities of both parties under the proposed partnership, while stressing that the security and welfare of Corps Members remained a priority for the NYSC.
