Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has urged young Nigerians participating in the National Youth Service Corps to use their service year to develop practical skills and prepare themselves for opportunities beyond conventional salaried employment.
The governor said entrepreneurship, innovation and vocational competence were becoming increasingly important in an economy where formal employment alone could not accommodate the growing number of young people entering the labour market.
Nwifuru spoke during the swearing in ceremony for members of the 2026 Batch C Stream 1 at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Afikpo.
He urged the corps members to take the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme seriously and avoid treating it merely as another activity required during the service year.
According to the governor, skills acquired during national service could provide the foundation for creating businesses, generating employment and building sustainable livelihoods after the programme.
Nwifuru said his administration was investing in human capital, agriculture and technical training as part of efforts to create an environment in which young people could develop commercially useful skills.
He cited the establishment of the National Automotive Design and Development Council Automotive Training Centre in Abakaliki as one initiative intended to connect young people with opportunities in automotive and technical industries.
The governor said economic opportunities were not always obtained by waiting for existing jobs.
Young people, he argued, should increasingly identify problems that can be solved through innovation and enterprise.
Ebonyi State Coordinator of the NYSC, Mrs Malgwi Pat Maidariya, also emphasized the importance of developing resilient and responsible young people capable of responding to changing economic and social conditions.
She said the theme of the orientation programme reflected the need to combine national service with practical preparation for life after NYSC.
According to Maidariya, the objectives also complement the Ebonyi State Government’s focus on youth development, entrepreneurship, responsible citizenship and inclusive economic growth.
The message to the new corps members was therefore broader than completing the mandatory service year.
They were encouraged to regard the period as an opportunity to acquire skills that could eventually enable them to create employment rather than depend entirely on finding it.
