The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, has advised youth corps members to develop skills instead of expecting employment into the civil service after their one year mandatory service.
Basiru gave the advice in a statement titled, “Contribute to economy through skill acquisition,” which was made available to our correspondent on Thursday in Abuja.
Basiru, according to the statement, spoke at the Skills and Entrepreneurial programme organised for youth corps members at the National Youth Service Corps Orientation Camp in Ede, Osun State, on Wednesday.
The Senator charged the young Nigerians to develop their entrepreneurial skills to fit seamlessly into the present economic reality.
He said, “The days of waiting endlessly for job opportunities in government agencies can no longer be sustained economically.
“Over 70 per cent of the Federal Government budget is going into debt servicing and overhead and there are little resources available for core economic activities.
“However, the situation is not as gloomy as people paint it.”
He, therefore, urged the corps members to contribute to the economy with their skills which are in high demands.
He also advised them to embark on core entrepreneurial training in fashion designing, plumbing, event management, makeup, and catering among others.
The Senator further called for a reform of the educational system which is, currently, largely based on theory, to be more practical based whereby Nigerian graduates would be better equipped with requisite skills and knowledge.
