The Federal Government says 300 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members will be trained and certified as compressed natural gas (CNG) technicians before being attached to CNG conversion centres across the country.
The initiative is part of efforts to equip young Nigerians with practical technical skills while supporting the country’s transition to CNG-powered transportation.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Monitoring and Delivery, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi, disclosed this at the opening of the CNG Retrofitting Training Programme for corps members at the NYSC FCT Orientation Camp in Kubwa, Abuja.
According to Ms Gbadamosi, the programme will be implemented across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with the trainees expected to acquire practical skills in CNG vehicle retrofitting.
She said the programme was designed to support the Federal Government’s target of retrofitting 100,000 vehicles annually, while creating a pool of certified technicians capable of meeting the growing demand within the CNG sector.
“300 corps members would be trained and certified as technicians and attached to different CNG centres,” she said.
The training is being implemented through collaboration between the NYSC, the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the programme would create fresh employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for corps members beyond their mandatory service year.
He urged the participants to take advantage of the training and develop skills that could provide them with sustainable livelihoods after completing their national service.
Mr Olawande also encouraged the corps members to embrace emerging opportunities in cleaner and more affordable energy, saying technical skills would complement their academic qualifications.
The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, described the programme as an example of inter-agency collaboration aimed at preparing Nigerian youths for emerging economic opportunities.
He said the NYSC had trained more than three million corps members in various skills since the introduction of its skills acquisition initiatives in 2012.
The first phase of the programme is targeting 300 corps members across six locations, with 50 participants drawn for each location. The wider initiative is expected to be implemented in phases over the coming years.
The government says the programme will help address the shortage of skilled personnel needed to support Nigeria’s expanding CNG conversion and maintenance ecosystem, while giving young Nigerians practical skills that can translate into employment and business opportunities.
