The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig Gen Olakunle Nafiu, has told fresh corps members that the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme was deliberately designed to tackle graduate unemployment in Nigeria.
Nafiu made the remarks in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, while speaking to corps members deployed there for the 2026 Batch B Stream II orientation course. He acknowledged that no government anywhere in the world is able to provide white-collar jobs for every young person in its population, and used that reality to explain why NYSC management created the SAED programme in 2012.
SAED Programme's Origin and Purpose
“Long time ago, NYSC Management in its wisdom foresaw the challenge of unemployment we are facing today, that was why it designed and introduced the SAED programme to address unemployment and foster entrepreneurship,” Nafiu said.
The DG urged the corps members to take full advantage of SAED training, both inside and outside the orientation camp, with the goal of setting up their own businesses and becoming self-reliant once their service year ends. He pointed to the many young Nigerians who had gone through the programme and built successful enterprises as proof that the training delivers results.
Promoting National Unity and Integration
Beyond entrepreneurship, the DG reminded corps members of the core purpose of the NYSC scheme: promoting national unity and integration. He called on the graduates to mix freely with colleagues from different ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds as a practical expression of that mandate.
Nafiu also stressed the importance of relating well with host communities once corps members receive their primary assignment postings. He told them that showing genuine respect for local customs and traditions is the surest way to earn trust and goodwill from residents.
Respecting Host Communities
“According due respect to the customs and traditions of the members of your host community is one major way of earning their trust and confidence, and that would attract goodwill and hospitality for you,” he said.
He went further, encouraging corps members to learn words of the local language, wear traditional attire where appropriate, and sample local food as ways of building a genuine connection with their hosts.
Ebonyi State NYSC Coordinator Mrs Pat Maidariya, who spoke earlier at the event, reported that all orientation course activities were running smoothly, with corps members participating actively. She added that camp officials were working together to ensure the exercise was a success.
