The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) have partnered to expand the scope of Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) training for Corps Members through the integration of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) retrofitting training.
Speaking during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja, the Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, said the Scheme possesses facilities that support a wide range of vocational trainings, having facilitated in-camp SAED training for over 300,000 Corps Members annually.
According to a statement issued by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, the NYSC DG said that since the establishment of the SAED programme in 2012, about 1.5 million Corps Members have participated in post camp vocational training across the country.
Nafiu stated that the Scheme would continue to ensure Corps Members are better equipped before the completion of their service year.
He appreciated the Minister for Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, the Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi, and the leadership of NADDC for investing in Nigerian youths through the initiative.
“For over five decades, the NYSC has been mobilising Nigerian graduates in support of unity and development. In response to the growing rate of unemployment, we launched the NYSC SAED programme in 2012 because service with skills leaves Corps Members better equipped,” he said.
The NYSC DG noted that the Scheme could not fully achieve the objectives of SAED without the type of technical partnership being provided by NADDC.
He added that NYSC’s nationwide presence positioned it as a strategic platform for the programme.
“We would take optimal advantage of this opportunity by making our Orientation Camps and training venues available, mobilising Corps Members and providing the necessary administrative structure,” Nafiu stated.
He further said the partnership would enable Corps Members to become certified practitioners in a field currently needed in Nigeria, assuring that the Scheme was fully prepared to collaborate towards producing certified CNG technicians.
In his remarks, the Director General of NADDC, Otunba Joseph Osanipin, said the council remained committed to integrating CNG retrofitting training into the NYSC SAED programme.
Osanipin said the initial three year duration of the MoU reflected the seriousness attached to the initiative.
“Through this partnership, NADDC will deploy its full technical capacity to design and deliver a CNG retrofitting curriculum of the highest professional standard that will produce Corps Members of engineering background who are genuinely certified, practically competent and enterprise ready,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the programme would transform lives and reaffirm the council’s commitment to the success of the collaboration.
Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi, said the partnership aimed at producing certified CNG technicians among Corps Members to support the Federal Government’s energy transition agenda while equipping youths with market relevant vocational skills.
The Minister for Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, said the collaboration between NYSC and NADDC had the potential to create about 5,000 jobs for Nigerian youths.
He urged stakeholders to support efforts aimed at bridging skill gaps and creating an enabling environment for young people to thrive.
Olawande also noted that the Federal Government had been promoting the CNG initiative over the past three years, stressing that Nigerian youths must not be excluded from emerging opportunities in the sector.
“We must not bring people from other areas or countries to fix our CNG systems while our youths remain unemployed,” he said.
He encouraged Corps Members to take advantage of the service year to acquire relevant skills capable of helping them create jobs for themselves and others.
The minister also commended NADDC for fully funding the programme for three years, while NYSC would provide its SAED platform for implementation.
He added that the training must maintain high practical standards capable of preparing beneficiaries for sustainable careers in the sector.
