The National Youth Service Corps on Monday warned all personnel of the NYSC Farms and Ventures to shun acts of sabotage, dishonesty, mismanagement, and other vices that could threaten the good intentions for which it was established.
The NYSC said that it was important to shun such vices as they were capable of undermining the efforts of the NYSC.
The NYSC also said following the problems of low crop yield experienced in 2021 at its farms in Kebbi State and the FCT due to climate change, it had approved the insurance for crops with the National Agricultural Insurance Corporation during the 2022 farming season.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim, represented by the Director of Internal Audit, Leke Abiodun, stated these on Monday in Abuja, while declaring open the 2022 NYSC Farm and Ventures Managers Workshop with the theme “Effective planning and budgeting: A necessity for NYSC enterprise operation”.
According to him, as part of efforts to strengthen the management of the farms and other ventures nationwide, a circular had been issued directing all personnel manning them to report to the Director, Ventures Management for effective supervision, policy implementation and control.
“Furthermore, in order to ensure accountability, we have ensured the opening of corporate accounts in commercial banks by all the ventures.
“The managers and accountants are to also ensure appropriate documentation of all financial transactions for ease of reference”, he said.
Ibrahim also said that the management “had approved the insurance of the NYSC crops with the National Agricultural Insurance Corporation during the 2022 farming season.”
This, he said, was in view of the problem of low crop yield experienced in 2021 at the scheme’s farms in Kebbi State and the FCT due to climate change.
Ibrahim said that the department was created in 2012 to enable the scheme provide a veritable platform for Nigerian youths to achieve self reliance, develop entrepreneurship spirit and contribute to national food security.
He said it was also set up to meet some of the requirements for youth corps members’ kits and orientation.
“This workshop is, therefore, another modest stride in our efforts to rejig the NYSC farms and other ventures for enhanced revenue generation.
“Management is particularly desirous of building the capacity of the ventures managers by acquainting them with modern skills in agricultural and business management.”
The Director, Ventures Management Department, Momoh Mohammed, said that the theme of the workshop was borne out of the conviction that planning and budgeting were important for the sustainable and profitable operation of business enterprises.
He said that revenue generation was an added mandate for the scheme’s ventures and without profit being generated, no revenue would accrue to the investor.
“I wish to put on record that the journey of revitalising and repositioning our farms and ventures have not been a smooth sail.
“While the ventures are posing profits and fulfilling other mandates, the farms need to do more to be at par with them.
“Although for our farms, there are challenges posed by unusual weather patterns, fluctuating and increasing prices of inputs and other natural phenomenon.
“The managers must put all hands-on deck to mitigate these challenges of agricultural production activities and ensure that they meet up with management’s expectations”, he said.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
