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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle O. Nafiu, has advised the Corps members serving in the state to ensure they make friends across the regions and sustain them after their service year.
Nafiu stated this during his visit to the 2025 Batch “B” Stream 1 Corps Members at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Dakingari, Suru Local Government Area, Kebbi State.
The DG, who inspected camp facilities and commended the Kebbi State Government for its support of the scheme, defied all adversaries to use an umbrella during the rain as he walked through the rain while assessing the facilities.
While addressing the Corps Members, Nafiu stressed that one of the core objectives of the NYSC was to foster national unity and urged them to build meaningful relationships starting from the orientation camp.
“Make friends across different regions, and maintain those bonds for the future. Do not burn bridges, because there is importance of networking and mutual support”.
He further described the Corps Members as the future of the country, noting that the government has made education relatively affordable compared to other nations.
While emphasising the value of national service, the NYSC boss stated that graduating from a higher institution alone was not enough to secure employment in Nigeria.
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“Participating in the NYSC scheme plays a significant role regardless of one’s institution, course of study, or grade. Do not reject your posting, even if you are assigned to a classroom,” he said.
He encouraged the Corps Members to accept their Primary Place of Assignment (PPA) without complaints and to focus on making a positive impact, stressing that posting them to rural areas often provides greater opportunities for lasting contributions than urban or “flashy” placements such as banks or government offices.
Nafiu also urged Corps Members to take the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme seriously in light of the high competition for jobs.
He encouraged them to diversify their sources of income, noting that even employees of major corporations such as the NNPC invest in other businesses.
Quoting lessons from The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason, he advised Corps Members to save at least 30% of their allowances to help establish themselves after service, and to explore funding opportunities from NYSC’s partner agencies.
He reminded Corps Members to respect the identity, values, and traditions of their host communities, and to contribute to community development without condemning local practices.
On discipline, he advised them to use social media responsibly, create content that promotes the country’s values, and avoid posts that attack the government, saying that, ‘he who plays the piper dictates the tune,” he added.
