Dr Okpe Okpe of the Federal University Lafia, Nasarawa State, has said that the National Youth Services Corps (NYSC) Trust Fund Bill if passed the National Assembly would address the financial constraints in training of corps members and orientation camp development.
Okpe, a lecturer in the Faculty of Education, Federal University Lafia, stated this at a public symposium held in Abuja on Wednesday, organised by Nigeria First, a Non Governmental Organisation.
He said that the fund when in place would address financial constraints in training, orientation camp development, provision of sundry welfare and also mitigate the problem of employment in the country.
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This, he said was through the provision of capital to the corps members to establish their businesses.
The don also said that the urgent assent to the bill would serve as a panacea for insecurity and national disintegration, adding that it would assist in curbing incessant cases of ritualism in the country.
“I commend the current Director-General of the NYSC Maj.- Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, for initiating the idea of the Trust Fund.”
Convener, Nigeria First, Mr Richard Augustine, said the nation needed to build an economic model where business ideas would not be killed but nurtured into business empires; where men and women of skills shall realise their dreams and potentials.
He said that the youth have to be encouraged to strive collectively to end poverty, hunger and deprivation in the land using instruments such as the planned Youth Fund.
“NYSC Trust Fund on its final stage of becoming an Act, it is actually meant to address inclusive growth in Nigeria and this fact was well canvassed during the public hearing on the bill held on Feb. 24.
“The fund will provide a sustainable source of funds for the NYSC, skill acquisition training and provision of start-up capital to corps members, train and retrain the personnel of the NYSC, develop camps and the NYSC formations and provide facilities therein,” he said. (NAN)
