The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Lagos State Secretariat, has officially flagged off its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme with a colourful awareness rally at the orientation camp, alongside a financial literacy initiative aimed at preparing corps members for life beyond service.
The event, which marked the commencement of SAED activities for the 2026 Batch A, Stream II corps members, was designed to encourage participants to embrace entrepreneurship, acquire practical skills, and pursue financial independence after their service year.
Speaking during the flag-off, the Lagos State Coordinator, Christiana Salmwang, urged corps members to take the programme seriously, describing it as a critical platform for self-reliance, skill development, and career growth in an increasingly competitive economy.
Officials of NYSC, including the Head of SAED, Ehimwenma Itohan, joined corps members in a rally within the camp, displaying placards with messages promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, and the benefits of the SAED initiative.
In a parallel virtual engagement, KudiMata, in collaboration with the NNPC Foundation, organised a financial literacy conference themed “A Journey to Self-Actualisation,” focused on equipping corps members with essential money management skills.
The Managing Director of KudiMata, Kathleen Erhimu, delivered a keynote session where she stressed the importance of disciplined financial habits, urging young people to prioritise saving, track expenses, and set clear financial goals.
She further advised corps members to leverage skills acquired through SAED to create additional income streams, noting that financial independence is built on consistency, discipline, and multiple sources of revenue.
Erhimu also cautioned participants on budgeting practices and debt management, warning against unnecessary borrowing and urging them to fully understand loan obligations before committing.
She strongly advised corps members to avoid fraudulent investment schemes, encouraging them to engage only with platforms licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and other recognised regulatory bodies.
As part of the initiative, she announced that corps members can access a free financial literacy course via the KudiMata platform using their state codes, with certificates issued upon completion.
Reinforcing the message, NYSC Lagos Coordinator, Salmwang, warned that poor financial habits could have long-term consequences, urging corps members to take full advantage of SAED and related programmes for their personal and professional development.
The SAED flag-off underscores growing efforts by NYSC to move corps members beyond job seeking, positioning them instead as job creators equipped with both entrepreneurial and financial management skills.
