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| Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago |
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State has announced automatic employment for National Youth Corps Members who studied medicine and other health-related courses. This initiative aims to address the shortage of doctors and medical workers in state hospitals.
Bago made this announcement during the swearing-in ceremony of 1,600 youth corps members of the 2024 Batch ‘B’ Stream 1 at the Permanent Orientation Camp in Paiko, the headquarters of Paikoro LGA.
“We have an automatic employment scheme for all medical and health corps members in Niger State. If you are in the medical field, you are directly employed by the Niger State Government. The rest of you can join me on my farm,” he said.
He also announced a N5 billion donation for the completion of the Permanent Orientation Camp in Paiko and an additional N200,000 for each of the 1,600 youth corps members as a bonus for choosing to serve in the state.
“Welcome to Niger State. We are agrarians and farmers. I often wonder why someone would finish university or polytechnic and wait for a N60,000 minimum wage when in Niger Foods alone, I pay N500,000 every month.
“All corps members serving in Niger State today are entitled to a N200,000 bonus from Niger Farms. We will credit your accounts with N200,000 each. This is to make your stay in Niger State comfortable.
“Additionally, we are allocating N5 billion for a new NYSC camp. Niger State is providing N5 billion to the Minister and the DG to build a new NYSC camp,” he announced.
Bago also pledged to build more toilet facilities and sink five boreholes in the temporary orientation camp. He added that the state government would provide 20 cows and a trailer load of rice to corps members to enhance their experience in the state.
He explained that the N5 billion for the new NYSC camp and the N200,000 bonus for each corps member were generated through agriculture, highlighting the prosperity in the sector.
“We have invested heavily in mechanized agriculture because farming is not just about hoes and cutlasses. You can be part of Niger Farms.
“We have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development and the DG of the NYSC to integrate agriculture into the NYSC scheme,” he said.
The Minister of Youth Development, Jamila Ibrahim Bio, announced that the Federal Government had launched an initiative to empower at least 5,000 NYSC members with up to N10 million each for entrepreneurial ventures after completing their service.
She mentioned that the restructured Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) would start accepting applications this month (July) to enable more young entrepreneurs to access financial support for their innovative ideas.
Earlier, the state coordinator of the scheme, Mrs. Olayinka Abdulwahab, noted that no fewer than 100 youth corps members were participating in the Niger State Green Economy Project, working on state farms managed by Niger Foods and Logistics Limited.
