Alhaji Ladan Baba, the Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Kano State, says 500 corps members in the state were offered loans to establish their own businesses.

Baba disclosed this on Sunday in Kano while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the graduation of 2017 Batch ‘B’ Stream II corps member’s skills acquisition training.

He said the loan was through the scheme’s Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Programme.

According to him, the 10-day training for corps members, undergoing three-week orientation in Karaye Local Government Area, was part of the Federal Government's efforts to make the youths self reliant.

The NYSC coordinator explained that after the training, the corps members would be provided with loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Bank of Industry and Direct Credit Company Limited.

“Recently, over 500 corps members were given loan to establish their own businesses and some are presently undergoing the process to obtain the loan,” Baba said.

He also said that more that 2,368 corps members posted to the state had participated in agro-allied, food processing and preservation, culture and tourism and cosmetology training.

Other areas of training were Information and Communication Technology, construction, environment, horticulture and landscaping, power and energy, education, film photography and automobile.

The NYSC coordinator appealed to philanthropists, wealthy individuals and private organisations to construct skills acquisition centres at the orientation camp for the benefit of the state and the country in general.

He said the construction of such centres would enable the scheme train corps members and also residents of the state on different trades.

“The programme is also contributing so much toward reduction of unemployment among the youth and also to make them depend less on government jobs.

“Therefore, we are appealing to other wealthy individuals and private organisations to invest their wealth through the construction of the skills centre to benefit the youths in the state,” Baba further said.

He described the scheme as the best and major channel through which the youths could be empowered.

Speaking to the NAN, one of the corps members who recently passed out, Mr Thank-God John from Benue State, said he would remain in Kano, adding that he had established two photography shops in the city.

“It is as a result of the NYSC skills acquisition programme that I was able to get my photography training after which I was given loan to commence the business.

“With this business, I don’t think I am going back to my state except to visit my family and friends. I have employed other people who are working under me,” John said.

A female corps member from Ogun State, Oshola Oluwa-Tosin, who also benefited from the training, pledged to remain in Kano after her service to train people on make-up. (NAN)

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