Post civil war policy necessitated
NYSC scheme
Address by the Director-General NYSC, Brig-General
S. Ibrahim, DSS PhD MTRCN, at the media parley with Editors, Bureau Chiefs and Youth
Correspondents held on Thursday, August 15, 2019, at Barcelona Hotel, Abuja.
Introduction
I am delighted to welcome you all to this interaction
with our esteemed friends and partners from the Fourth Estate of the Realm, my
first since I assumed office as the 18th Director-General of NYSC on May 10,
2019. I wish to express our sincere gratitude for the tremendous support we are
receiving from the media as exemplified by the extensive coverage and publicity
accorded our programmes and activities. Your in-depth analysis, commentaries
and constructive criticisms on various issues affecting the Scheme have given
us further assurance that you are indeed worthy partners in our progress having
enabled us to enhance our efficiency and effectiveness.
In recent times, key stakeholders in the Scheme and other
members of the public have increasingly expressed support for our programmes and
activities nationwide. We attribute this positive development to increased
media visibility. We shall continue to strengthen our partnership with you as
our dependable allies. Today’s event
affords us a veritable opportunity to share ideas and relevant information on
the activities and programmes, which are germane to the
growth of the Scheme as an important national asset. I, therefore, thank you
most sincerely for honouring our invitation,
Brief History of NYSC
Before delving into the nitty-gritty of today’s meeting,
permit me to quickly refresh your memories with a brief history of the Scheme. The
National Youth Service Corps was established forty six (46) years ago by Decree No. 24 of
May 22, 1973, later appealed and replaced by Decree No. 51 of June 1993, which
is now known as National Youth Service Corps Act Cap N84, Laws of the
Federation of Nigeria 2004. The establishment of the Scheme was in response to
the challenges arising from the Nigerian civil war, which ended in 1970.
The
then Federal Government under the leadership of General Yakubu Gowon sought,
among other measures, to harness the potentials of the educated Nigerian youths
for the implementation of its post war policy of Reconciliation, Reconstruction
and Rehabilitation. The NYSC is therefore, a platform that galvanises Nigerian graduate
youths of thirty years of age and below for national unity and development through
its Four Cardinal Programmes for a continuous period of twelve months in line
with its objectives.
Culled
from Selected Speeches and Strides of the 18th NYSC
Director-General, Brig-General S. Ibrahim
Next……..The
Objectives of NYSC