A group under the aegis of Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC), has applauded the National Assembly for ensuring that the Bill seeking to establish the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Trust Fund scaled second reading.
Sponsored by Samuel Akinfolarin, the NYSC Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill 2021 passed the first reading at the House of Representatives on last Thursday, after scaling through the first on December 16, 2021.
Executive Director of the Centre, Joyce Ogwu, on Sunday, expressed satisfaction with the attention the Bill is receiving, noting that it was proof that the legislators are concerned about the state of unemployment in the country and will do anything possible to support credible initiatives to put the interest of the youths forward.
The proposed fund is expected to provide sustainable source of funds for NYSC, skill acquisition training and provision of start-up capital to corps members, train and retrain the personnel of the NYSC, develop camps and NYSC formations and provide facilities therein.
According to her, it would also improve the general welfare of corps members and personnel of the scheme and enhance their preparedness to effectively discharge their statutory duties of promoting national unity, integration, self-reliance and accelerated development of the national economy.
“The proposed law would, therefore, provide a legal framework for management and control of the special intervention fund established under Section 3 of the Act”, she said, adding that the institutional funding agency under the auspices of the NYSC will rapidly produce hundreds of thousands of skilled youthful manpower who will also be empowered economically to generate wealth and create employment opportunities.
She therefore, called for a speedy and seamless legislative process on the Bill by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila to enable the executive to sign it into law, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Bill as soon as it leaves the National Assembly.
