Joel Ajayi 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has offered automatic employment, Scholarship within Nigeria up to Doctorate level and cash awards of N250,000 each, to a total of 210 ex-Corps Members drawn from 2020 – 2023 service years.

This number is comprised of 200 who went beyond the call of duty to distinguish themselves in the course of their National Service, with outstanding contributions in all the four cardinal programmes of the Scheme, and 10 who sustained life-transforming injuries in the course of their service year.

He directed the Head of Service of the Federation and the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission to facilitate their employment into the Federal Civil Service immediately. 

The Overall best four awardees are; Nunaya Polycarp Nunaya from Adamawa State who served in Kwara, Okpogbo Alvin Chinedu from Imo State and served in Cross River, Dr Ugwa Obinna Mark from Abia State who served in Cross River and Rabiu Quadri Mayokun from Osun State and served in Rivers State.

The Overall best female awardees also include; Akase Patience Nguwasen from Benue but served in Gombe and Igwe Anne Chikaobi from Enugu State who served in Sokoto.

The President unveiled the mouth-watering package during the 2025 edition of the President’s NYSC Honours Award Ceremony, held at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Represented by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, President Tinubu commended the administration of General Yakubu Gowon for establishing NYSC in 1973, and the successive leadership of the Scheme, as well as Corps Members who had contributed to the development of Nigeria for the past 52 years. 

He noted that the  contributions of Corps Members to national unity and development, particularly in the areas of agriculture, education, and healthcare delivery, could not be overemphasised.

The President reiterated Government’s continuous support for NYSC.

President Tinubu similarly hailed the Scheme for its aptly structured and impactful Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme, which provided Corps Members with robust platform for  equipping themselves for self-reliance and job creation.

He said the government had instituted several youth-related programmes in order to enable them make significant contributions to the growth and economic advancement of the country.
In his address at the occasion, the Minister of Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande also hailed the contributions of Corps Members to national unity and integration, economic advancement, rural growth, educational improvement, free medicare for indigent Nigerians, among others.

He expressed appreciation to the President for his support to the Ministry of Youth Development and NYSC.

The Scheme’s Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu said the President’s NYSC Honours Award Ceremony was an occasion for National tribute to excellence, sacrifice and hope. 

He stated that since the institution of the President’s NYSC Honours Award Ceremony, the event had served as a solemn recognition of Corps Members who demonstrated exceptional commitment to the ideals of unity, patriotism, and nation-building. 

General Nafiu saluted President Tinubu’s visionary leadership which consistently paved the way for progressive youth development, adding that under the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the NYSC had witnessed increased support through strategic inclusion in government’s core development architecture, citing the recent increase of Corps Members’ allowances from N33,000 to N77,000, to support his claim.Nafiu said the increase in Corps allowances had revitalised their commitment to duty.

The NYSC Chief Executive added that “through initiatives like the revitalised Nigerian Youth Investment Fund and the National Talent Export Programme, Corps Members have greater access to post-service funding and global tech opportunities”. 

General Nafiu said the signing of the NYSC Trust Fund bill,  aimed at establishing a sustainable funding framework for the Scheme, would play a transformational role in revamping existing infrastructure, improving camp facilities, as well as support the welfare and post-service reintegration of Corps members. 

The Director General eulogized the Corps Members who died in the course of serving their fatherland, adding that their names, deeds, and legacies would not be forgotten.

He pledged that the founding ideals and enduring legacy of the NYSC would remain intact, even as the Scheme undergoes the much-needed reforms in tandem with prevailing trends in youth mentorship by the dictates of national needs.
He disclosed that Corps Members had been supporting  national programmes such as elections and SDGs campaigns, among others. 

The Director General also said NYSC deployed 6,340 Corps Medical Personnel, 2,319 of which were medical doctors, to take free medical care to the doorstep of about 4 million indigent Nigerians in the country’s rural communities, through NYSC’s Health Initiative For Rural Dwellers (HIRD) programme in 2025.

Nafiu further disclosed that NYSC had restructured the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme ‘to incorporate more technology-driven and market relevant training, adding that more Corps Members are willing toembrace the programme as the Scheme equipped an average of 250,000 Corps Members annually with various skills.

The 2025 edition of the NYSC President’s Honours Award ceremony was attended by a cross section of Nigerians, including top government functionaries, former Chief Executives of the NYSC, serving and retired Directors of the Scheme.

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