Learn Everything about NYSC SAED NYSC Development Programme

All about NYSC SAED: The NYSC scheme was created in a bid to reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the Nigerian Civil war. The unfortunate antecedents in our national history gave impetus to the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps by decree No.24 of 22nd May 1973 which stated that the NYSC is being established “with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity”.

As a developing country. Nigeria is further plagued by the problems attendant upon a condition of underdevelopment, namely; poverty. mass illiteracy, acute shortage of high skilled manpower (coupled with most uneven distribution of the available skilled people), woefully inadequate socioeconomic infrastructural facilities, housing.

Table of Contents

History of NYSC SAED

Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was inaugurated in March 2012 to “address” unemployment in the country by teaching corp members skills they will need to be self-employed in today’s harsh economy.

What we were told during orientation camp a little over a year ago was that if we learn any of these skills, some of which include fish farming, bead making, makeup artistry, soap making, fashion designing, baking and sewing, we have a strong chance at becoming employers of labour rather than job seekers. Since its inception, the SAED programme has trained over 500,000 corp members, however,

Since its inception, the SAED programme has trained over 500,000 corp members, however, only 1,600 of the half a million trained have gone on to become full-time entrepreneurs.

SAED is focused on wealth creation, by putting corp members through training that turns them into entrepreneurs, its objective is to teach graduate youths how to generate wealth and to make up for years of unbridled corruption, mismanagement and sheer waste that has hindered economic growth in the country.

The SAED director (in my camp) even conceded that it was common for corp members of her generation to have about 3 jobs offers to choose from by the end of the service year.

What has changed between then and now is the twin evils of unemployment and poverty that has possessed the graduate youth. Consequently, wealth is now the dominant value of most Nigerians, and most young people go to university to improve their job prospects because we were told that if we want a good job in today’s fiercely competitive market we must get a degree.

So why then put us through a programme like SAED which teach us skills we do not need a degree to learn?

The NYSC, I believe is tasked with the supreme mandate to de-emphasise and replace the narratives of money first and individualism with service, academic prowess, honesty, coverage and all the contributions by citizens that bring honour and glory to the fatherland. Therefore, SAED is the antithesis of what youths should be learning during NYSC.

It not only distracts corp members from engaging in Community Development Service (CDS), as there are reports that some corp members attempt to replace weekly CDS meetings with SAED, it also re-emphasises the poisonous narrative today’s youth have come to internalise, i.e. above national integration and service, making money is priority number one.

SAED is not only a travesty to cushion the effects of decades of bad policies, mismanagement and corruption that have delivered us into poverty, but it is also the mother of all bad policies currently in effect because it teaches mediocrity to the “skilled” young working population and can jeopardise the effectiveness of every other development policy currently in execution or on the drawing board.

LIST OF NYSC SAED PROGRAMS DURING ORIENTATION CAMP

Since its introduction, the SAED program has left an immense impact on the lives of some corp members. There are experiences of corp members who started living with this, others who do not have to spend money on buying certain products but can now produce them on their own, and have helped to save some expenses in their family budget since they can produce these things at home. Many have learnt a lot of valuable skills that remain with them forever.

Agro-allied:

the SAED program partners with an organization involved in large scale production, processing, and packaging of food using modern equipment and methods. They are usually involved in education and training interested corp members in the skills in processing and packaging of food.

It can be an invaluable skill to acquire with the recent trend toward food processing and packaging.

Automobile:

organizations such as driving schools can be contacted within the state to help corp members learn the skills of driving. A lot of corp members find themselves interested in this section which I feel it is very useful for every graduate to learn.

Beautification:

beautification involves making visual improvements to a person, place or thing. With the SAED program in the orientation camp, it is common to see beauticians who would teach corp members preliminary phases of embellishing pictures, artworks and the sort.

Construction

Building and construction sector produce some of the training in this section which includes bricklaying, the building of houses, building of roads, and others like it. It can be an interesting course for some corp members.

Cosmetology

SAED works hand in hand with experts involved in the care of hair and makeup as well as skincare and products. These training may include services such as colouring, extensions, and straightening. Interested corp members can learn useful skills in improving and perfecting the hairstyle of clients. With the new knowledge the corp members they can make a business out of styling hair for weddings, proms, and other special events in addition to routine hair styling.

Culture and tourism:

The culture and tourism section is interested in educating students on how to make a business from culture and tourism. Culture and tourism happen to be placing importance on the artworks, relics and attractive centres of a community that raise the interest of the tourist. Good knowledge of the business is vital if a person wants to embark on it.

Education

In the education sector, organizations involved usually are into educating corp members who have a passion for education in seeing the various opportunities in the education sector and how to make a business out of it.

Environment:

a lot of teachings on the dangers facing the environment are highlighted and training on environmentally ecology and economics are taught which is vital for most businesses today.

Film and photography:

the film and photography section the organization involved is usually into teaching corp members how to operate video cameras and photo cameras. To be able to produce excellent film and videos requires an art that needs to be acquired and that is what these bodies are interested in teaching corp members

Food Processing/Preservation:

Technologies involved in food processing and preservation. Corp members interested in this are taught by organizations on modern technologies, and ways to use them in food processing and preservation and how to make a business out of it.

ICT

ICT organizations that are ready to give out knowledge on computer skills to Nysc candidate. Some of these skills would include skills on Microsoft office, web design, graphic design, program management and any other related skills.

Power & Energy:

you can find companies that can teach corp members on certain ways to generate power and energy. The training includes training mostly on how to build solar power. Knowledge on this can be a big source of revenue for corp members when taken seriously.

Depending on the state you are serving the categories can come in different forms with consideration of the available establishment in the area.

Generally, though, they are almost the same everywhere. You would be expected to join one so try as much as possible to know what would be easier for you, one that you have passion in and one that can help in the long run in your future career choices.