Corps Members have been advised on the criteria for winning the NYSC President’s Honours Award.
NYSC Director-General, Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim gave the advise on Thursday while addressing the 2022 Batch ‘A’ Stream One Corps Members deployed to Nasarawa State at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Magaji Dan Yamusa in Keffi.
He disclosed that their assessment for the award starts from the Orientation Camp, adding that they must excel in all the four cardinal programmes of the NYSC before they can qualify for consideration for the award.
He further revealed that 110 ex-Corps Members that were honoured during the last edition are now gainfully employed by the Federal Government.
He stated that any Corps Member that changes his posting or redeploy from his initial State of deployment to another is automatically disqualified from consideration for the award, adding that a potential awardee must have also won the State Honours Award.
He urged the Corps Members to study their host communities and initiate laudable projects that would improve their living standard.
General lbrahim who met the Corps Members while undergoing Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development training advised them to utilise the opportunity provided by the Scheme to become job creators.
He said NYSC Management intoduced skill acquisition to encourage vocational training among Corps Members in order to make them self-employed, wealth creators and reduce the rate of unemployment among graduate youths in the country.
The NYSC Chief Executive added that the Scheme has been advocating the establishment of NYSC Trust Fund which would make funds available to Corps Members as they pass out from service.
“Jobs are not readily available but many ex-Corps Members that took Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme seriously are now self-employed and wealth creators, contributing to the country’s GDP.
“We have our stakeholders like the Central Bank Nigeria, Bank of Industry, Access Bank, Unity Bank, Leventis Foundation, among others that have been assisting Corps Members with support capital.
“Drive your vision with passion, don’t cut corners, be trustworthy and reliable and with good conduct, l can assure you, the sky will be your limit.
“We don’t want to hear any act of criminality from any Corps Member, shun drugs and other forms of criminality”, he said.
General Ibrahim urged the Corps Members to be responsible users of the social media to promote national unity and integration, instead of using it to promote dissafection among Nigerians.
He warned them against unauthorized journeys, but added that they should obtain permission from NYSC before they travel, if it becomes necessary and compelling.
