The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, has challenged outgoing corps members to embrace entrepreneurship, establish businesses and create jobs rather than depend solely on paid employment.
Nafiu gave the charge in his farewell message to members of the 2025 Batch C, congratulating them on completing their mandatory one-year national service and urging them to remain committed to Nigeria’s development.
The message, signed by the NYSC Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, commended the corps members for their patriotism, resilience and contributions to their host communities throughout their service year.
The NYSC boss said their community development projects and positive impact on residents demonstrated the capacity of young Nigerians to drive national development through selfless service and collective responsibility.
He urged them to sustain the spirit of service beyond the scheme, stressing that completing their national service should mark the beginning of greater contributions to society.
With many Nigerian graduates struggling to secure employment, Nafiu encouraged the outgoing corps members to turn the knowledge and skills acquired during their service year into sustainable businesses.
He specifically urged them to take advantage of the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, which equips corps members with vocational and entrepreneurial skills for self-reliance.
“As you transition into the next phase of your journey, I encourage you to boldly harness the knowledge and skills gained through the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, SAED, programme,” he said.
Nafiu challenged the graduates to become job creators, rather than job seekers alone, noting that entrepreneurial initiatives could provide livelihoods for their owners while creating employment opportunities for other Nigerians.
He also urged them to uphold the NYSC’s core values of patriotism, integrity, efficiency, commitment, teamwork and self-reliance in their personal and professional lives.
According to him, these values would help them navigate future challenges, make responsible decisions and prepare for leadership positions across different sectors.
The director-general further called on the outgoing corps members to remain committed to national unity and economic growth, irrespective of where their careers take them.
He wished the 2025 Batch C graduates success in their future endeavours, urging them to apply the lessons of their service year to building meaningful careers and contributing to a more prosperous Nigeria.
