Niger State Governor Umaru Bago has bolstered support for participants in Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program by donating 100 bags of rice and 10 cattle to aid meal provisions during their mandatory orientation training. The contribution, formalized during a handover event on Sunday at the NYSC camp in Paiko Local Government Area, underscores the state’s continued focus on supporting youth engaged in national service.
Martina Shuaibu-Ibrahim, the state’s NYSC coordinator, praised the governor’s initiative, framing it as part of broader efforts to prioritize corps members’ welfare. “This gesture reaffirms the government’s dedication to creating a conducive environment for corps members to integrate into their host communities and contribute effectively to local development,” she said during the presentation. The donation comes amid a three-week orientation exercise, a compulsory segment of the NYSC program that prepares graduates for year-long postings across Nigeria.
The latest support follows a larger-scale intervention earlier this year. In February, Governor Bago approved a disbursement of ȼ200,000 (roughly $135) for each of the 1,600 participants in the 2024 Batch B Stream 1 cohort, alongside 600 bags of rice and 20 cows. Such measures aim to alleviate logistical and financial challenges faced by participants, many of whom are deployed far from their home regions.
Established in 1973, the NYSC program requires Nigerian university graduates under 30 to complete a year of national service, including postings to states outside their ethnic or geographic origins. While praised for fostering national unity, the initiative has faced criticism over security risks and inadequate infrastructure in some host communities. State governments typically augment federal provisions by contributing resources such as food, transportation, or stipends to ease participants’ transitions.
Governor Bago’s administration has positioned youth engagement as a policy priority, recently launching agricultural and entrepreneurship programs to address unemployment. Analysts note that consistent support for initiatives like the NYSC could enhance social cohesion and attract skilled graduates to public service roles.
The donated food supplies will be distributed across camp kitchens in Paiko, where thousands of corps members undergo paramilitary drills, skills training, and community integration activities. Officials emphasized that such interventions help mitigate rising food costs and ensure participants focus on their assignments without undue hardship. With Nigeria’s youth unemployment rate exceeding 50%, the NYSC remains a critical bridge between academia and workforce entry, though calls for structural reforms to modernize the scheme persist.
