NYSC Saves Lagos Over N14bn Annually – DG
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has saved the Lagos State government approximately N14.8bn annually through the deployment of corps members across various sectors in the state, the Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has revealed.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at Lagos House, Marina, on Thursday, the NYSC boss highlighted the significant economic value corps members bring to Lagos through their contributions in education, health, and other public and private sectors.
According to him, Lagos currently hosts over 44,000 corps members, including 303 doctors, 7,148 teachers, and 274 nurses, with an additional 35,000 serving in various roles across the state.
“The NYSC scheme has continued to remain a viable scheme not only in uniting the country and building bridges across culture, religion and socio-economic divides, but it also contributes immensely to the socio-economic development of the state and communities where our corps members are deployed,” Nafiu said, according to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the governor, Gboyega Akosile.
“NYSC saved Lagos about N14.8 billion annually when we consider the cost of paying corps members in the state if they were to be employed full time.”
He also commended the state for consistently providing a secure and enabling environment for corps members to serve and thrive.
According to him, Lagos remains the top destination for corps members nationwide, with a growing number of young Nigerians preferring to serve in the state due to its peaceful atmosphere and opportunities for personal and professional growth.
“Lagos State is the number one destination for corps members in the country,” he said.
“Parents are always eager and comfortable when their sons and daughters are posted to Lagos. Parents are comfortable with their daughters serving in Lagos State.”
In his remarks, Sanwo-Olu reassured the NYSC leadership of his administration’s unwavering support for the scheme and its members.
He described corps members as a vital part of Lagos’ development story and pledged continued investment in infrastructure to support their work, including the proposed NYSC permanent site in Ikorodu.
“We are being very deliberate and intentional. It is very gratifying that a large number of corp members in the country are in Lagos. I want to assure you again that we will continue to provide an enabling environment for corps members to feel wanted, loved and appreciated during their times in Lagos,” Sanwo-Olu said.
“We commend all our youth corpers. It is always something of joy to identify with them, to see those uniforms and to continue to encourage them and for them to thrive in whatever they do. It is a national pride and something that everybody must carry with dignity and honour.”
Sanwo-Olu acknowledged the vital role corps members play in education, healthcare, and other sectors, promising to maintain and improve the support structure for the NYSC scheme in the state.
“We will do whatever is expected of us to make their time and period here a memorable one. We want to assure you that as a government, we will continue to support and make the scheme interesting and memorable for corps members at all times,” he said.
NYSC Saves Lagos Over N14bn Annually – DG is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
