Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari has commended former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), for the wisdom of setting up the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 1973, which truly achieved the goal of national integration.
Buhari, in a statement released on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, congratulated the former Head of State and all directors-general of the corps, past and present, for inspiring and sustaining a 50-year legacy.
The President reiterated that the NYSC remains one of the strongest ideals of nation-building, institutionally encouraging inter-cultural and inter-religious marriages, resettling people of various tribes in different parts of the country, exploring entrepreneurship and business opportunities in places, removing insularity among citizens, and enabling a new culture of oneness, brotherliness, and neighbourliness.
He stated that as the nation celebrates NYSC at 50, the scheme must be sustained with a constant reminder of its history, structure, and purpose.