News: FG to Mainstream NYSC into UN Programme

The Federal Government has on Thursday, unfolded plans to mainstream the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), initiative into the United Nations programme.

This is to give the scheme a global outlook where other nations can tap from its initiative.

The Minister of Youths Development, Boni Haruna, who spoke in Abuja, during a meeting with the officials UN-Habitat and NYSC, said the scheme had recorded massive achievements since its inception

According to him, setting all programmes in the scheme into the UN will attract global appreciation, even as it creates a platform for national integration and youth development.

Boni also said the essence of the meeting is not only to re-establish relationship with the UN but to create opportunities for Nigerians to be seen as an active contributor.

In his remarks,the Director of Global Monitoring and Research Division in the UN-Habitat, Professor Banji Oyeyinka, underscored the need to document NYSC for global visibility.

He said this will help the country attract more supports for the scheme, instead of having the Federal Government solely running the scheme.

Professor Banji added that this will also change the negative global perspective about the country.

"Nigeria is a very strong player in the UN, the NYSC has not been documented in a way that is visible to the world when you have documentation, you attract more people. For instance, Nigeria have always carried the whole scheme by its self and we believe that if the world knows the achievements of this institution, we are likely to attract more supports into the scheme.

"It is also about advocating for our selves everyone talks about all the things that are happening with the youths, with all the insurgency ,we have something else to give to the world and for us, this is something we can give to the world. In our situation with UN habitat, we are set up to fix the member states it is like a bureaucracy of the world.

"We want the world to see that we have done a scheme for 40 years ,a very successful institution that have sustained ,irrespective of all the troubles we have that we want the world to know that Nigeria can sustain a programme.

Source: Tribune