The federal government has been asked to review the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme to give Nigerian graduates the needed skillset and experience that will make them employable and employers of labour.
These are part of the positions that was resolved at a town hall meeting of the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) on Tuesday in Abuja.
Fellows of the program and other participants also asked the government to work in conjunction with international donor agencies to expand the budget to the mentorship of fresh graduates in employment skills.
The NJFP initiative was of the partnership between the Federal Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), funded by the European Union (EU) and
coordinated by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Speaking at the event, Chief of Party, Talent Management Company (TMC) North Central, Dr. Funmilayo Oyefusi said, “As a TMC and implementing partner since July 2024 where we were onboarded/engaged as the TMC for North Central region comprising six states in Nigeria (Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, Kwara, and the FCT), we have registered 256 New Host
Organisations, visited and verified 349 Host Organisations, verified and found 207 Host Organisations eligible, matched 418 Fellows with about 51 Host Organisations and 250 Fellows resumed their fellowship in North Central.
“This is an ongoing success. It is not just another project where only numbers will be looked out for but, it is more than a project/programme. It is a commitment to tackling the pressing challenges of youth unemployment while cultivating a generation of leaders equipped with world-class skills, practical expertise, and the confidence to shape Nigeria’s destiny.”
Dr. Oyefusi said that the event provides unique opportunity, not only to reflect on the strides we have made through NJFP but also to listen, to engage, and to inspire one another.
“The young people we are empowering today are not just our future leaders; they are the change makers of today. They are the engine of growth, creativity, and resilience in every sector of our economy. And through the NJFP, we are making sure their voices are heard, their skills are sharpened, and their contributions to national development are celebrated,” she said.
She said that the federal government has done well by having the programme as an initiative funded by the EU and managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
She added, “The federal government has done very well for we have been able to match 9,000 graduates to host organisations to work. What we should do further is to recruit more graduates into the programme so that we can match them with the host organisations and build their skills.”
Also, one of the CEOs of the host organisations, Elevation Craft, Tongrick Byanyiko, said it would be of great impact on youth empowerment and security of the country if a large portion of the population could be enlisted into the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) and related programmes.
She said, “I don’t know how realistic it is for everyone to benefit from it, but I feel the budget needs to be expanded for more people to benefit from it.”
She said that the NYSC could also be a tool to make fresh graduates employable and it should not be seen as an institution to get corps members acclimatized with Nigerian diverse culture alone.
“We know employers keep hammering on experience, NYSC should be made to give great skills to Nigerian graduates that would give them needed experience and skills that would make them employable.
“The NYSC needs to imbibe the core employability status to the scheme, so that people would know that that one year is the time for me to get the needed work experience,” Byanyiko said.
Also, Patrick Aklo, Servelead Global (Business Development Manager), commended the initiative as a positive development in the nation for young graduates and tackle unemployment in the country.
Two of the fellows, Shirley Timothy and Christopher Rekwot, expressed appreciation for the initiative, calling for its sustainability.
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