By Chidera Orji

The Federal Government has said 300 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members will be attached to different compressed natural gas conversion centres across the country after being trained and certified as CNG technicians.

This plan was made by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Monitoring and Delivery, Dr Titilope Gbadamosi, at the opening ceremony of the CNG Retrofitting Training Programme for corps members at the NYSC FCT Orientation Camp in Kubwa, Abuja.

This was contained in a statement posted on the NYSC Facebook page on Wednesday.

According to Gbadamosi, the programme will be delivered across the six geopolitical zones and is part of efforts to place Nigerian youths at the forefront of the country’s transition to CNG.

She said the programme was targeted at retrofitting 100,000 vehicles annually.

She said, “Following the removal of the fuel subsidy in 2033, compressed natural gas (CNG) emerged as the most viable and affordable alternative for Nigerian motorists, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu set a national target of 100,000 vehicles to be retrofitted annually.

“The National Automotive and Development Council (NADD) has committed its technical authority in certification standards and full funding to this effort.”

Gbadamosi added that “300 corps members would be trained and certified as technicians and attached to different CNG centres.”

The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the introduction of CNG training for corps members would create more job opportunities and expand their entrepreneurship opportunities beyond their service year.

He urged the corps members to maximise the opportunity provided by the training, assuring them that his ministry would continue to support and empower young people towards entrepreneurship.

Olawande also advised the corps members to change the narrative by embracing cheaper and sustainable energy while using their skills to complement their academic certificates.

The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, said the initiative demonstrated inter-agency collaboration and the scheme’s support for President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Nafiu said the NYSC was ready to support Nigeria’s energy transition, adding that the scheme had trained more than three million corps members in various skills since 2012.

“The CNG retrofitting training supports the one trillion dollar innovation-driven economy. This carefully selected programme would bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world applications.

“The NYSC is ready and open for business; together we can build a robust, innovative economy, powered by the energy, ingenuity and enterprise of our vibrant youth population.”

Our Reporter 

Ahead of the commencement of the much-anticipated recruitment exercise into the Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA), the Director-General of the Authority, Hon. Dr. Benjamin Essien Okiemute NN Rtd. (FNIIS), has warned prospective applicants to beware of fraudsters and individuals claiming to have access to employment slots.

 The recruitment exercise, scheduled to commence on Monday, August 10, 2026, is part of the Authority’s efforts to strengthen its workforce and enhance traffic management operations across the state.

 Speaking at the Authority’s headquarters and making the information available to the press at his office, Dr. Okiemute said the management had been working closely with the Board and Directors to ensure a transparent and credible recruitment process following the directive of the Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Elder Sheriff Oborevwori.

 He said, “I have been meeting with the Board members and Directors since His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, gave us the directive to recruit officers into the Authority. We are glad for the trust and confidence our Governor has reposed in us, and we expect Deltans to adhere strictly to the requirements and guidelines stated on the application platform.”

 According to the DESTMA helmsman, the recruitment exercise has also prompted the Authority to establish a dedicated website, official email address and telephone lines through which prospective applicants can obtain accurate information and guidance throughout the process.

 He particularly cautioned applicants against paying money to anyone in exchange for employment, stressing that no individual, including any officer of DESTMA, has been authorised to sell or promise employment slots.

 “No one should promise you employment, even if it is an officer of DESTMA. If you are interested, visit (www.destma.ng) and apply. While doing so, ensure that you meet the stated requirements, as the Authority will screen every application accordingly,” he warned.

 Prospective applicants are therefore advised to rely only on the Authority’s official communication channels for information concerning the recruitment exercise and to disregard individuals who request payment or claim to be able to influence the selection process.

 Dr. Okiemute expressed appreciation to Governor Oborevwori for approving the recruitment exercise, noting that the initiative would not only strengthen the operational capacity of DESTMA but also provide employment opportunities for qualified Deltans.

 He said the exercise was in line with the Governor’s MORE Agenda, adding that the employment opportunities created through the recruitment would contribute to reducing unemployment and improving the economic well-being of families across the state.

 The Director-General assured that DESTMA remained committed to conducting a fair, transparent and credible recruitment exercise, stressing that only applicants who meet the stipulated requirements and successfully pass the screening process would be shortlisted for further screening and interview.

 He added that shortlisted applicants and subsequent recruitment updates would be communicated through the Authority’s official website, (www.destma.ng), and Facebook page.

 Prospective applicants are urged to remain vigilant, follow the official application guidelines and refuse to pay anyone for an employment.

Nkem Okereh 

Former Vice President of Nigeria,  Atiku Abubakar, has described reports that schools across about 40 local government areas have been shut because of insecurity as a damning indictment of the Tinubu administration’s failure to protect Nigerian children and guarantee their right to education.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the development raises serious questions about the ₦144.86 billion National Plan on Financing Safe Schools for 2023–2026, particularly when the schools the programme was designed to protect are still being forced to close because of terrorists, bandits and other armed groups.

The Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said “at a time when Nigeria is already battling a severe out-of-school crisis, insecurity is driving even more children from the classroom. If schools across about 40 local government areas cannot operate because government cannot guarantee the safety of pupils and teachers, Nigerians are entitled to ask a simple question: where is the ₦144.86 billion Safe Schools programme in all of this?

“Budgeting money is not the same thing as securing schools. Announcing programmes is not the same thing as protecting children. The true measure of a Safe Schools programme is whether our children can actually go to school safely. By that elementary test, the present approach is failing.”

Atiku demanded that the Tinubu administration publish a comprehensive account of the programme, including how much has been mobilised and released, the agencies and contractors that received funds, the schools covered, security infrastructure delivered and measurable outcomes achieved.

He warned, however, that accounting for the money alone would not solve the deeper problem.

“What Nigeria requires is a completely different security philosophy. Under my administration, school security will not be treated as another Abuja contract-awarding programme. It will be integrated into a decentralised, intelligence-led security architecture built around the communities where these schools actually exist.

“We will establish functional early-warning and rapid-response systems around vulnerable schools, strengthen intelligence sharing between schools, communities and security agencies, and ensure that identified high-risk schools have clearly defined security and emergency-response plans.

“Local communities know their terrain. They know when unfamiliar people enter their communities and often see the warning signs before Abuja does. Our security architecture will make that local intelligence part of the national response rather than leaving communities helpless until an attack has already occurred.

“We will also insist on measurable outcomes for every naira committed to school security. Nigerians will know which schools have been protected, what infrastructure has been provided, who is responsible for maintaining it and which security formations are accountable for responding when threats arise.

“Safe Schools will be measured by children in classrooms, not billions in government documents.”

Atiku said the consequences of allowing insecurity to empty classrooms extend far beyond education.

“Every school that closes creates another opening for poverty, child labour, early marriage, exploitation and radicalisation. Every child driven from the classroom becomes more vulnerable to the same criminal and extremist networks the government claims to be fighting. Protecting education is therefore itself a national security strategy.”

He said it was indefensible that Nigeria, after repeated attacks and abductions involving educational institutions, could commit enormous resources to a Safe Schools programme and still reach the end of its implementation period with armed groups determining whether schools open or close.

Atiku said the situation in Borno makes the failure even more intolerable. Reports indicate that 36 students and a staff member of Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area were abducted by gunmen during examinations in late June, while 42 pupils reportedly remain missing following the May 15 attack in Mussa.

“When terrorists can decide whether Nigerian children go to school, they are exercising authority that belongs to the Nigerian state. That is not merely an education crisis. It is a surrender of state authority.

“And since Mr President says his government knows the forests where these kidnappers and terrorists operate, Nigerians are entitled to ask: what exactly are they still doing there?

“Mr President should detail his security forces to those forests, rescue these children, and bring their abductors to justice. Intelligence that tells the government where terrorists are hiding but does not result in their capture or the rescue of their victims is of little comfort to parents whose children remain in captivity.

“These are not statistics. They are Nigerian children who should be sitting in classrooms, writing examinations, and planning their futures—not names on an endless list of the missing. Every additional day they remain in captivity is another indictment of a government that claims to know where the criminals are but has yet to bring the children home.

“Nigerians do not need another assurance that the government knows where the terrorists are. They want to know why the terrorists are still there—and why our children are still with them.”

Atiku said his approach would be fundamentally different: school security would be connected to a broader decentralisation of Nigeria’s security architecture, with communities incorporated into intelligence gathering and clearly defined rapid-response mechanisms activated when threats are detected.

“Our alternative is straightforward: secure the communities, empower local intelligence, protect vulnerable schools, respond rapidly to threats, measure results, and account for every naira.

“President Tinubu must also account for the ₦144.86 billion and explain why, after all the announcements and appropriations, Nigerian parents are still being forced to choose between educating their children and keeping them alive.

“A government can not announce billions for Safe Schools and expect Nigerians to applaud their failure while terrorists are shutting the schools. Budgetary allocations are not achievements. Press conferences do not protect children. The only result that matters is that a Nigerian child can leave home for school and return safely.

“Nigeria cannot educate its way out of poverty if terrorists are allowed to lock the classroom door. Under our government, criminals will not determine when Nigerian schools open.

The Nigerian government shall.” It promised.