The National Youth Service Corps – NYSC corps members have been told to develop and acquire needed technological skills that will enhance their employability in the face of economic challenges in the country and the entire world ICT Robotic artificial brain age.
Making this assertion, the Ogun State Director, National Orientation Agency, Ogun State Directorate, Mr. Christopher Kolawole Obadina, yesterday, at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Sagamu, Ogun State while addressing corps members enlisted as Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA) Ambassadors. He said YOMA is an online platform for youth that provides opportunities to develop skills, engages with youth in a community, and to help them in accessing employment. YOMA Champions or Ambassadors are expected to continue to drive sign-ups on the YOMA platform via peer-to-peer influence in the camp throughout the orientation duration and corps members’ prospective Place of Primary Assignments (PPAs).
Mr. Obadina said the Agency, on continuous basis has been collaborating with the NYSC to engage corps members at every orientation camp with NOA lectures on National Core Values meant to mould their behavior, attitude and character with a view to building an egalitarian society where things move in the right direction and that NOA has equally established and enlisted secondary school students into the Integrity clubs, with the support of ICPC Nigeria and Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, with the notion to achieving same objectives.
Therefore, the Agency he said, is at the orientation camp to sensitize, mobilize and enlist National Youth Corps members to key into the Youth Agency Marketplace’s (YOMA) vision in collaboration with UNICEF and @GenU 9JA, a public-private-youth partnership (PPYP) platform established to support adolescents and youth successfully transitioning from learning to earning among others.
“This scheme is one of the numerous attempts aimed at bringing our youth together to showcase who and what they are with a view to availing them opportunities that abound within the larger society.
It is therefore my pleasure to congratulate you, being the first set of corps members that will be benefiting from the scheme on inception”.
According to the NOA Ogun boss, the International Labour Organization (ILO) in its recent figures published pointed to the fact that more than 20% of 15 – 24 years old in Africa are without work. The report further says that, in 2020 young people were three times likely to be unemployed as adults. Lack of access to training, insufficient experience, and limit financial resources are just some of the reasons for this. Without reference to ILO report, it is evident that unemployment is more prevalent these days and in an effort to make our youth employable and open to employment opportunities, hence the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA) is developed.
However, with YOMA, he continued, “there exists increased access to opportunities for corps members to unlock their potentials, builds their capacity to sensitize and sign up their colleagues and social network on YOMA platforms, including accessing learnings, up skilling, and skilling opportunities embedded on the platform, positing that as youth engage on the platform, their achievements and perennial growth are verified using blockchain and added to a digital CV, which they can share with peers and employers.
This allows youth to build an alternative trust and profile, which enhances employability and allows for more informed matching with the labor market”, he added.
The State Director said YOMA Champions with outstanding enlistment performance will receive incentives or rewards with certificates from UNICEF.
Concluding his address, Mr. Obadina said the Agency will continue to pursue onerous task of preparing Nigerian youth for leadership roles through sensitization efforts to achieve desirous character traits and other acceptable social norms of a well-cultured society. He implored the corps members to take advantage of the time-bound opportunity YOMA initiative provides to get enlisted and urged them to remain focus by striving for greater heights through legitimate means and shun all forms of bad behaviors that could obstruct their journey and that of the nation into higher levels of greatness as a people.
As the 2023 general elections is here, he charged the corps members to collect their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC), perform their patriotic duty and civic responsibility, either as Adhoc Staff if selected or as voters by voting for candidates of their choice during the general election,and also, avoid being used as thugs to cause violence, but rather should be a role model and peace ambassador wherever they go and in whatever they do.
The State Coordinator, NYSC, Ogun State, Mrs. Shokpeka Winifred Ngozi charged the YOMA Ambassadors to distinguished themselves in the task ahead of them and do the NYSC proud.
She said, as a responsive body of government, the NYSC will continue to carry out its mandate at building the youth that will be responsible, discipline, valuable and reliable for nations development and growth.
She commended the YOMA, GenU 9JA, UNICEF and NOA for the collaborations pledging NYSC’s part to contribute to its success in Ogun State.
The event featured interactive session and group photograph with the NOA State Director, NYSC State Coordinator, Miss Racheal Dada, UNICEF representative for Ogun State, Barrister Isiaka Olalekan Bamidele, NYSC Ogun State SDG Ureport Schedule Officer, Adekunle Samuel, President, Dele-Osedele Peculiar, Secretary, YOMA Ambassadors and other enlisted members for the current batch of corps members at the orientation camp.
The State Director was accompanied by Mr. Osilana Adeleke Olorunwa, Head, ICT and Social Media, Mr. Sunday Alabi, Info/PR Unit and Mr. Famure Femi, PRS Dept.
