By Leonard Okachie
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged corps members to take full advantage of their enrolment in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), by registering in their service locations.The NYSC Director-General, Maj.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, told the corps members at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Batch ‘A’ Stream 1 Orientation Course at the NYSC camp, Umunna, Bende Local Govermnent Area of Abia.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that corps members were recently enrolled in the NHIS under a comprehensive initiative known as NYSC Group Individual Social Health Insurance Programme (GIFSHIP).The NYSC boss, represented by, Mr Denis Jingi, Abia Director of the scheme, encouraged the corps members not only to register under Health Care Providers, but to also report promptly for medical attention in the event of ill-health.According to him, the corps members can also visit any NHIS accredited hospital during official leave period outside their service locations.He expressed profound gratitude to the Federal Government for providing the enablement for the take-off of the enrolment. Ibrahim advised the corps members that the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme had been carefully designed to equip them for self-employment and wealth creation.
He, therefore, encouraged them to build on the skills acquired by availing themselves of the opportunities for post-camp training.“It may interest you know that the desire to make the SAED programme more impactful partly informed our advocacy for the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund.“Once it becomes operational, the quality of the programme will be further enhanced through the provision of adequate training materials and engagement of more specialist trainers,” the director-general said.He said all trainees with bankable business proposals would also be supported with start-up grants, who would in turn be expected to step down vocational trainings or employ a good number of youths of their host communities.Ibrahim thanked all the relevant stakeholders for the progress made so far on the legislative processes on the bill for the establishment of the trust fund.However, he appealed to the appropriate authorities to facilitate the success of the remaining processes that would bring it to fruition.NAN reports that 1,504 corps members, comprising 567 males and 937 females participated in the orientation exercise.(NAN)
