The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Shuaibu Ibrahim, Thursday said, a total of 4,644,808 Nigerians have participated in the scheme since its inception in 1973.
Mr. Ibrahim made this known at a press conference in Abuja, where he also said the scheme had achieved the goals of national unity and integration.
According to him, a total of 1,132,409 corps members have passed through the scheme’s skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development programmes.
“Since inception, 4,644,804 Nigerians have participated in the scheme. Some of the objectives of the NYSC include; to inculcate discipline in Nigerian youths by instilling in then a tradition of industry at work and of patriotic and loyal service,” Mr. Ibrahim said.
The NYSC scheme was created in a bid to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild Nigeria shortly after the Civil war.
It was established under National Youth Service Corps Decree No.24 of 22nd May 1973.
A section of the decree indicates it was established, “with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity.”
However, the decree establishing the scheme has been repealed thrice and now replaced with the National Youth Service Corps Decree No. 51 of June 16, 1993.
