Sixty-five former Corps members get automatic employment in federal civil service.
President Muhammadu Buhari, at the National Youth Service Corps NYSC 50th Anniversary Honours Award ceremony in Abuja, announced that 52 people received Presidential Honours Awards, while the remaining 13 People with Disabilities were acknowledged under the NYSC Hope Alive Programme.
He said that the two groups would be offered scholarships up to the level of a Doctorate Degree at any university in the country and cash prizes of N250,000 for the top award winners and N200,000 for the other award holders.
President Buhari directed the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Federal Civil Service Commission and the Minister of Education to implement the employment and scholarship offers.
He paid respect to corps members who died in various circumstances while serving the country.
President Buhari also expressed gratitude to the Scheme’s founding father, retired General Yakubu Gowon, on May 22, 1973.
”The NYSC has continued to provide successive batches of Corps Members with a veritable platform to make important contributions to our national life,” he added.
While congratulating the former corps members chosen for the Presidential Honour, Sunday Dare said their sacrifices and remarkable achievements represented the positive qualities they exemplified during their service year.
Purpose of the NYSC Program in Nigeria
NYSC is a government-initiated program, established during the military regime, designed to actively engage graduates in the process of nation-building.
Unlike military conscription, the programme mandates graduates from universities and later polytechnics to partake in a one-year service, commonly referred to as the national service year.
In 2019, the director-general of the NYSC, Shuaibu Ibrahim, said more than 4.6 million graduates participated in the scheme since its inception in 1973.
