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Minister Commends Ingenuity of the NYSC’s Founding Fathers
Joel Ajayi
The Minister of Sports and Youth Development Mr Sunday Dare has commended the ingenuity of the leaders who bequeathed the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme as well as Nigerians and the persons whose unwavering commitment has led to its sustenance for fifty years now.
The Minister who made the commendation on Monday at the opening ceremony of NYSC at 50 held in Abuja stated that, the scheme has made invaluable impact in national development since its inception 50 years ago.
He noted that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme has kept faith with its objectives and sustained its relevance in the country’s development.
Dare who described NYSC as the leading youth organisation in Africa explained further that “the hindsight of past presidents and heads of state has nurtured this scheme despite the odds that have threatened its existence.
The NYSC has made an invaluable impact in various aspects of national development, including providing healthcare to rural communities, and also made legendary contributions to education and rural infrastructure.There have been acts of resourcefulness and benevolence, and the nation witnessed remarkable ingenuity from youth corps members during the COVID-19 pandemic and before then during the Ebola virus and HIV/AIDS pandemic.”
While applauding President Muhammadu Buhari’s contributions to the scheme in the past eight years, Dare also appreciated the president for the privilege to serve the country as minister for sports and youth development.
He therefore called on the leadership of the scheme to see the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to evolve strategies to strengthen the scheme, make it more sustainable, and broaden its scope of operations to enhance its contributions to further drive national development.
News
AWESSA 2026: Customs Assures Border Cooperation for Women Entrepreneurs
By James Samuel, Abuja
The Nigeria Customs Service has said the nation’s borders must become gateways of opportunity for African women entrepreneurs, not obstacles that kill their businesses.
This was disclosed at the African Women’s Economic Sovereignty Summit and Awards (AWESSA) 2026 held at the Customs House, corporate headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service in Abuja.
Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, his representative, an Assistant Controller, said hosting the summit inside Customs premises was deliberate.
“That this summit holds within the Customs premises is no accident. It is a statement of intent,” he said.
“The border is where the promise of every African trader either comes alive or dies quietly. And the men and women of this Service have resolved that for every woman entrepreneur of this continent, that promise will never die.”
He said women account for an estimated 70% of informal cross-border trade in Africa and over half of agricultural labour, yet they face documentation, standards, finance and harassment challenges.
“Too often she meets the border as an obstacle rather than a gateway. Because she trades in small volumes, in cash, in informality without formal papers, capable business women are now trapped in informality, invisible to trade statistics,” he noted.
He added: “AfCFTA will not be delivered by treaties alone. It will be delivered at border posts, in conference halls, and in market stores.”
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, represented by a Director, said women are central to Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.
According to her, NEPC’s focus is now on building export- ready competitive enterprises through programmes like the Women in Export Initiative, Export Clinic, and Zero to Export.
“Our focus is no longer on encouraging exports alone, it is on building competitive export-ready enterprises. We are supporting women to move beyond production into value addition, quality assurance, standard compliance, branding and market positioning,” she said.
She said AfCFTA offers a market of over one billion people, but women need knowledge, certifications and institutional support.
“Empowering women economically is one of the most effective tools for achieving poverty reduction, food security, job creation and inclusive growth,” she stated.
The Convener, Helen Okon, who is the Publisher of Business Review Africa & Africa Today Magazine, as well as representatives of NAFDAC DG and NEXIM Bank MD, reaffirmed commitment to supporting women-owned businesses access standards, certification and finance.
The summit, with the theme of positioning women as drivers of trade and sustainable development, is part of activities marking the International Year of the Women Farmer.
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