ASHENEWS reports that the Niger State governor, Mohammed Bago on Tuesday offered automatic employment to medical and health workers posted to the state for the compulsory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
Speaking during the orientation ceremony for the NYSC Batch B, Stream 1 orientation ceremony held at the temporary camp in Paikoro, the governor also announced a N200,000 bonus to each of the corps members posted to the state.
He also announced the approval of N5 billion to build a new orientation camp for corps members in the state.
In his words, “We have an automatic employment scheme for all medical and health corpers in Niger State. Once you are in the medical field, you have been employed directly by the Niger State government.
“We are agrarian, we are farmers so in my conversation everywhere I go, I begin to wonder, how can somebody finish university or polytechnic and is waiting for N60,000 minimum wage when in Niger food alone, i pay N500,000 every month.
“All corp members serving in Niger state today are entitled to N200,000 bonus from Niger funds.
“This is to give you comfort to stay in Niger State. We want to build a brand new NYSC camp so today we are putting N5 billion for your new camp.”
The governor added that the Niger State government will commence the construction of more toilets, and boreholes in the camp.
The governor who encouraged the corps members to take advantage of the agricultural revolution drive in the state said that the sector holds immense potential for prosperity in the country.
He lauded the federal government for supporting the government to ensure that the country’s agricultural revolution is piloted in Niger State.
He noted that the state government was working on establishing irrigation facilities to ensure all year cropping.
In her goodwill message, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Jamila Bio stated that the federal government has earlier initiated a program to empower at least 5,000 corps members with at least N10 million each for entrepreneurial ventures at the end of their service year.
“We are introducing significant reforms to the NYSC program and scaling up skill development and entrepreneurship through your service year.”
She announced that the federal ministry is partnering with the Niger state government and the NYSC to boost food production thereby making the NYSC a self sustaining agency while addressing the food insecurity challenges that the country is faced with.
