The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has partnered with the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) to introduce Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) retrofitting training for corps members under the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme.
The partnership was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in Abuja, as both agencies moved to align youth empowerment efforts with the Federal Government’s energy transition agenda.
Speaking during the event, the Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, said the collaboration would expand the opportunities available to corps members by equipping them with practical and market-relevant technical skills.
According to him, the NYSC already has an established structure that supports vocational and entrepreneurship training across the country through the SAED initiative.
He said the scheme currently facilitates in-camp SAED training for more than 300,000 corps members every year, while over 1.5 million corps members have participated in post-camp vocational training programmes since the initiative was launched in 2012.
“For over five decades the NYSC has been mobilising Nigerian graduates in support of unity and development. In response to the growing rate of unemployment, we launched the NYSC SAED programme in 2012 because service with skills leaves Corps Members better equipped,” Nafiu said.
He explained that the partnership with NADDC would help bridge the technical gap required to fully maximise the potential of the SAED programme, especially in emerging sectors such as CNG conversion and maintenance.
“We recognized that we cannot achieve SAED’s full potential without the kind of technical partnership the NADDC brings to the table today,” he added.
Nafiu noted that the NYSC’s nationwide operational structure places it in a strategic position to support the training rollout across all states.
“The NYSC offers a nationwide presence unmatched by any other institution as we operate in every State of Nigeria welcoming thousands of graduates,” he said.
He also assured that orientation camps and other NYSC training facilities would be made available to support the implementation of the programme.
“We would take optimal advantage of this opportunity by making our Orientation Camps and training venues available in mobilising Corps Members and provide the necessary administrative structure,” he stated.
The NYSC DG further said the initiative would help corps members become certified CNG technicians and create new employment opportunities for young Nigerians in the automotive and clean energy sectors.
The Director General of NADDC, Otunba Joseph Osanipin, said the council was fully committed to the success of the partnership and would deploy its technical expertise to ensure the programme meets professional standards.
He disclosed that the MoU would run for an initial period of three years, adding that the duration reflects the seriousness attached to the initiative.
“Through this partnership NADDC will deploy its full technical capacity to design and deliver a CNG retrofitting curriculum of highest professional standard that would produce Corps Members of engineering background who are genuinely certified, practically competent and enterprise ready,” Osanipin said.
He explained that the Federal Government’s push towards CNG adoption has created a growing demand for skilled technicians in Nigeria, making the training programme timely.
“The Federal Government’s pivot to Compressed Natural Gas has created an urgent skills gap in the Nigerian workforce, and NADDC is fully committed to addressing that challenge through structured technical training and certification,” he said.
Osanipin also appreciated the Ministry of Youth Development, the NYSC leadership, Pi-CNG and other stakeholders involved in facilitating the partnership.
According to him, the three-year agreement provides enough time to build a sustainable model capable of transforming the lives of participating corps members.
“The three-year tenure before us is enough to demonstrate that we can deliver an outcome that will transform lives,” he stated.
Also speaking at the event, the Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi, said the partnership is designed to support the Federal Government’s energy transition policy while addressing youth unemployment.
She said the core objective is to build a pool of certified CNG technicians through the NYSC platform and equip Nigerian youths with skills that remain relevant in the changing economy.
The Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, described the collaboration as a major opportunity to create jobs and reduce the skills shortage in the country’s growing CNG industry.
According to him, the partnership between NYSC and NADDC could generate up to 5,000 jobs for young Nigerians.
He called on other stakeholders and institutions to contribute towards closing skill gaps and creating opportunities for youths across the country.
Olawande also stressed the need for Nigeria to develop local technical capacity in the CNG sector instead of relying on foreign expertise.
“The Nigerian youths must not be left behind. We must not bring people from other areas to come and fix our CNG or from different countries to come and earn our income and claim we have no job,” he said.
The minister urged corps members to use their service year as an opportunity to acquire practical skills that can support long-term career growth and entrepreneurship.
He further disclosed that NADDC would fully fund the programme for the first three years, while the NYSC would provide its nationwide SAED platform for implementation.
“I am very happy that the NADDC will fully fund this program for three years, while the NYSC will provide its SAED platform for the training,” Olawande said.
He added that the training must maintain high standards and remain practical enough to prepare beneficiaries for future opportunities in the automotive and energy sectors.
The event was attended by senior officials from the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, NYSC, NADDC, representatives of Pi-CNG and other stakeholders involved in youth development and Nigeria’s clean energy transition plans.
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