To reduce graduate unemployment and boost self reliance, the National Youth Service Corps has commenced exposing over 2,300 corps members in Kwara State to skill development ventures.

The programme, according to Kwara State Coordinator, NYSC, Mrs. Ezinne Ezekwe, is aimed at making the corps members self reliant, job creators and even employers of labour rather than depending on elusive paid employment.

She added that the Federal Government had made available soft loans for corps members, adding that they could use their NYSC certificate to collect loan up to N250,000 and above. 

She said NYSC has also War Against Poverty programmes to also empower the corps members, adding that beneficiaries of the loan would also be monitored and mentored to ensure the success of their ventures.

 “When someone acquires a new skill, it is going to help the individual as well as give such a beneficiary self satisfaction and make him become job employer rather than job seeker.  Before a corps member finishes the service, he will be sure to have acquired at least one skill,” Ezekwe said.

Head, Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Essiet Ebong, said the corps members would be exposed to various skills such as poultry, piggery, fish farming, bee keeping, tie and dye; hair dressing, barbing and tailoring.

Centre Manager, Ilorin Business Support Centre, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Mrs. Zainab Abdulmalik, said efforts should be intensified to make the corps members  be job creators rather than job seekers.

She said SMEDAN was also committed to the entrepreneurship training, capacity building and mentoring of the corps members.

Chief Enterprise Development Officer, National Directorate of Employment, Ilorin, Mrs. Folashade Lanre-Ogun, expressed concern that most of the graduates from tertiary institutions did not have marketable skills. 

She stated that both government and individuals have roles to play to improve on the business environment in Nigeria.

One of the corps members, Miss Ngozi Emmanuel, said funding was a major problem for aspiring entrepreneurs. 

She said people also looked down on young entrepreneurs, adding that some young people also failed to repay loan, making it difficult for others to assess such facility.

For Wilson Okiroro, the major challenge was that many young people were not ready to recreate their environment through personal development.

He added that some young graduates did not want to improve their technical knowledge especially in their fields of specialisations, thereby making themselves not marketable.

Another participant, Mr. Shedrack Agbaragu, observed that there was dearth of ideas among the youth, while many aspiring entrepreneurs had quick money-making mentality.