Gowon Applauds NYSC’s Role In Unity, Job Creation, Youth Empowerment

Former Head of State and founder of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), General Yakubu Gowon, has lauded the scheme’s administrators for preserving its original vision more than fifty years after its creation.

Naijaonpoint reports that Gowon made these remarks when the newly appointed NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, paid him a courtesy visit at his Asokoro residence in Abuja.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Acting Director of Information and Public Relations for NYSC, Caroline Embu, Gowon reflected on the opposition the initiative faced from Nigerian students at its launch in 1973.

Despite this early resistance, he noted that the NYSC has grown into a well-established institution, fostering national unity, cultural integration, employment opportunities, and youth empowerment across the country.

“The former Head of State and founding father of the National Youth Service Corps, General Yakubu Gowon GCFR, has commended the managers of the Scheme for sustaining the vision that informed the establishment of NYSC.

“He said the NYSC was greeted with strong opposition from Nigerian students across the country at inception, had not only overcome the initial misgivings but had grown to become a nationally recognised and accepted tool for fostering national unity, integration, development, job creation, and youth empowerment in Nigeria.

“He acknowledged the multi-dimensional contributions of Corps Members to national development over the 50 years of the Scheme’s existence.

“He further praised the deployment policy of NYSC, which exposes Corps Members to the various peoples and cultures of Nigeria, by posting them to States and geographical locations other than their own,” the statement partly read.

Encouraging Brigadier General Nafiu to build upon the achievements of his predecessors, Gowon expressed hope that the scheme would reach new heights under his leadership.

In his response, Brigadier General Nafiu described the NYSC as “a divine project that has been of significant blessing to the country,” appreciating General Gowon’s unwavering support and seeking his mentorship as he steers the scheme forward.