By ZAKAA LAZARUS
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has offered automatic employment, Scholarship within Nigeria up to Doctorate level and cash awards of N250,000 each, to a total of 210 ex-Corps Members drawn from 2020 – 2023 service years.
This number is comprised of 200 who went beyond the call of duty to distinguish themselves in the course of their National Service, with outstanding contributions in all the four cardinal programmes of the Scheme, and 10 who sustained life-transforming injuries in the course of their service year.
He directed the Head of Service of the Federation and the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission to facilitate their employment into the Federal Civil Service immediately.
The President unveiled the mouth-watering package during the 2025 edition of the President’s NYSC Honours Award Ceremony, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Represented by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, President Tinubu commended the administration of General Yakubu Gowon for establishing NYSC in 1973, and the successive leadership of the Scheme, as well as Corps Members who had contributed to the development of Nigeria for the past 52 years.
He noted that the contributions of Corps Members to national unity and development, particularly in the areas of agriculture, education, and healthcare delivery, could not be overemphasised. The President reiterated Government’s continuous support for NYSC.
President Tinubu similarly hailed the Scheme for its aptly structured and impactful Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme, which provided Corps Members with robust platform for equipping themselves for self-reliance and job creation.
He said the government had instituted several youth-related programmes in order to enable them make significant contributions to the growth and economic advancement of the country.
The Overall best four awardees are; Nunaya Polycarp Nunaya from Adamawa State who served in Kwara, Okpogbo Alvin Chinedu from Imo State and served in Cross River, Dr Ugwa Obinna Mark from Abia State who served in Cross River and Rabiu Quadri Mayokun from Osun State and served in Rivers State.
The Overall best female awardees are; Akase Patience Nguwasen from Benue but served in Gombe and Igwe Anne Chikaobi from Enugu State and served in Sokoto.
In his address at the occasion, the Minister of Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande also hailed the contributions of Corps Members to national unity and integration, economic advancement, rural growth, educational improvement, free medicare for indigent Nigerians, among others.
He expressed appreciation to the President for his support to the Ministry of Youth Development and NYSC.
The Scheme’s Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu said the President’s NYSC Honours Award Ceremony was an occasion for National tribute to excellence, sacrifice and hope.
He stated that since the institution of the President’s NYSC Honours Award Ceremony, the event had served as a solemn recognition of Corps Members who demonstrated exceptional commitment to the ideals of unity, patriotism, and nation-building.
General Nafiu saluted President Tinubu’s visionary leadership which consistently paved the way for progressive youth development, adding that under the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the NYSC had witnessed increased support through strategic inclusion in government’s core development architecture, citing the recent increase of Corps Members’ allowances from N33,000 to N77,000, to support his claim.
Nafiu said the increase in Corps allowances had revitalised their commitment to duty.
The NYSC Chief Executive added that “through initiatives like the revitalised Nigerian Youth Investment Fund and the National Talent Export Programme, Corps Members have greater access to post-service funding and global tech opportunities”.
General Nafiu said the signing of the NYSC Trust Fund bill, aimed at establishing a sustainable funding framework for the Scheme, would play a transformational role in revamping existing infrastructure, improving camp facilities, as well as support the welfare and post-service reintegration of Corps members.
The Director General eulogized the Corps Members who died in the course of serving their fatherland, adding that their names, deeds, and legacies would not be forgotten.
He pledged that the founding ideals and enduring legacy of the NYSC would remain intact, even as the Scheme undergoes the much-needed reforms in tandem with prevailing trends in youth mentorship by the dictates of national needs.
He disclosed that Corps Members had been supporting national programmes such as elections and SDGs campaigns, among others.
The Director General also said NYSC deployed 6,340 Corps Medical Personnel, 2,319 of which were medical doctors, to take free medical care to the doorstep of about 4 million indigent Nigerians in the country’s rural communities, through NYSC’s Health Initiative For Rural Dwellers (HIRD) programme in 2025.
Nafiu further disclosed that NYSC had restructured the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship
Development (SAED) programme ‘to incorporate more technology-driven and market relevant training, adding that more Corps Members are willing to
embrace the programme as the Scheme equipped an average of 250,000 Corps Members annually with various skills.
The 2025 edition of the NYSC President’s Honours Award ceremony was attended by a cross section of Nigerians, including top government functionaries, former Chief Executives of the NYSC, serving and retired Directors of the Scheme.
The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has attributed the quantum leap in federally generated revenue from N2.942trillion in May to N4.232 trillion in June this year to the bold economic reforms President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, the group said that it had translated into steady savings as well as an average monthly FAAC disbursement of well over one trillion naira to all three tiers of government.
It said: “Since the beginning of the year, federally generated revenue had consistently hovered above N2 trillion naira but we were startled to see a 45% increase in total gross revenue to N4.232 trillion in June 2025. This is the highest ever revenue generated by the country.
“We not only welcome this quantum leap in revenue but also see the development as the culmination of the financial engineering by the President Bola Tinubu administration in the wake of the introduction of its flagship economic policies of fuel subsidy removal and harmonisation of the foreign exchange windows.
“It is also an affirmation that the country has firmly moved away from low daily crude production to a higher alignment with the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) daily crude production quota of 1.5million barrels per day.
“In fact, publicly available data show that the country’s daily average production in June was 1.697m bpd, comprising both crude oil of 1.505m bpd and condensate of 191,572 bpd.
“We are also aware that only recently Nigeria’s oil rig count increased to 46 from 31 in January 2025, an indication of a rapidly improving investment atmosphere in the oil sector as a result of reforms introduced in that sector as well as improved security.
“To better understand how well the country has fared in the last two years on President Tinubu’s watch, we invite Nigerians to note that total gross revenue for the same period in 2023 was N1,959 trillion while that of June 2024 was N2,483.8 trillion.
“So there is no gainsaying that the reforms introduced by the administration are yielding good financial dividends for the country.”
The group added that this development has led to consistently high FAAC allocations to all tiers of government.
“As a result of improved gross revenue earnings, funds available for disbursement from the federation accounts have grown exponentially.
”From the N786.8 billion that was shared among the three tiers of government in May 2023, monthly FAAC allocations have grown to a high of N1.818 trillion in June 2025, while the country was buoyant enough to set aside N2.251 trillion for transfers, refunds, interventions, and savings.
“We dare say this is unprecedented and a far cry from the eras when the managers of the country’s finances dipped into reserves to augment distributable revenue to all tiers of government.
”So it did not come as a surprise to many Nigerians that the majority of states are reducing their exposures to debt in the last two years.
”We are looking forward to a situation where higher allocations to state and local governments begin to reflect in the well-being of the people,” it added.
TMSG urged Nigerians to demand more from the subnationals now that they are consistently getting increased federal allocations.
End.
