To boost its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has approached the Chinese government to empower corps members with skills in diverse fields.
The request was made by the director-general of NYSC, Brigadier General Yushau Dogara Ahmed (rtd.) when he visited the Chinese Embassy in Abuja yesterday.
The DG said that partnership between NYSC and China in ICT, textile and agriculture will go a long way in giving corps members more opportunities to become self-reliant and employers of labour, which will in turn increase Nigeria’s gross domestic product.
According to a statement by NYSC’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Mr. Eddy Megwa, the DG, who was received by the Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy/Director of China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, Mr. Li Xuda also sought for an opportunity for some corps members to visit China to witness the country’s cultural exhibition, as a way of exposing them to the wider world.
Earlier, Ahmed commended the staff of the Chinese embassy in Nigeria for frequently attending cultural carnivals and other major events organised at NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Kubwa, Abuja.
Xuda stated that China and Nigeria have a long-standing relationship that needs to be sustained.
He said that the embassy will expeditiously facilitate the actualisation of collaboration between his country and NYSC, to ensure that corps members are given the opportunity to learn more, especially in the areas pointed out by the NYSC director-general.
He assured his guests that the embassy would go a step further to ensure the possibility of corps members going to China for training in some reputable industries.