Ogun State urges Corps members to explore opportunities on ICT
Mr Afolabi Afuape, Ogun State Commissioner for Youths and Sports, has urged youths in the country to explore opportunities in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and agriculture to mitigate unemployment.
Afuape made the call while addressing the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) members at the swearing-in ceremony for the 2017 Batch ‘A’ Stream II corps members in Sagamu, Ogun, adding that students must learn to make the best use of information technology for productive means, rather than just for amusement sake.
He encouraged the newly sworn corps members to feel comfortable anywhere they were posted as their security and welfare were guaranteed.
According to him, the reality of global unemployment meant that not every graduate would have access to white-collar jobs, thereby prompting the need for them to be innovative.
The Commissioner called for massive public and private investments in agriculture which is now the panacea to unemployment, adding that government at the national and state levels had already accorded priority to agriculture by making it attractive to youths through capital investment waivers.
“We will continue to have a huge unemployment crisis unless we take advantage of agriculture, which will lead to industrialisation.
“The value chain agriculture offers would make the nation’s economy manufacture-based and address the service-based economy that we practise,” he said.
He urged them to take advantage of the Ogun State agricultural initiative for youths, as the government was ready to give support where necessary.
On her part, Mrs Ejiaka Mbachi, the state NYSC Coordinator, charged the corps members to be of good behaviour and be disciplined during the period of the orientation and service year.
The youths, she said were being mobilised to bring their ideas and energy to bear in the effective development of the nation as patriotic citizens.
She lauded the Ogun State Government for its support to the NYSC scheme in ensuring the safety of the corps members and unwavering support in the area of inputs and logistics.
