By Dayo Johnson

Akure — PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, Thursday, enjoined National Youth Service Corps members to be more creative and shift their minds from white collar jobs to self-reliance and wealth creation.

Speaking in Akure, through Governor Olusegun Mimiko,  at the passing-out ceremony of 2012 batch ‘A’ corps members, President Jonathan said white collar jobs were becoming less attractive. Represented by the State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Alhaji Yekini Olanipekun, the president noted that his administration deliberately introduced Skills Acquisition Programmes to corps members to make them self-employed.

*NYSC members

He said: “The present administration remains focused on youth empowerment, which we have pursued using the platforms of the Sure-P, You win and other programmes. I, therefore, implore you to cooperate and support this administration to reduce the current level of unemployment.”

Jonathan said the Federal Government, under an arrangement with the United Nations Development Programme, would this year, recruit young professionals to work on a variety of UN programmes.

He said the programme would expose the youths and make them serve as Nigerian ambassadors, not only in the international civil service, but also in many other respects.

Jonathan urged the out-going corps members to utilise the experiences garnered in the last one year to guide their pursuits of life goals.

….As NYSC sanctions 24 corps members in Ogun

By DAUD OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA—Authorities of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, in Ogun State, yesterday, said 24   Batch ‘A’ corps members posted to the state, had been sanctioned for various acts of infringement of the rules and regulations of the scheme, ranging from absenteeism, abdication, to insubordination.

State Director, Mrs. Theresa Anosike, who announced this during the passing out parade of Batch ‘A’ corps members who served in the state, noted that, 10 among the affected corps members had been asked to repeat their service year.

Anozike, who commended other corps members for their patriotism throughout the exercise in the state, said out of the 3,715 members, deployed in the state, only 24 contravened the rules and regulations of the scheme.

She said 3, 715 corps members were deployed to the state while 3, 491 were able to complete the service successfully.