The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs are planning a joint healthcare initiative aimed at taking free medical services to women and children in underserved communities across Nigeria.
The proposed collaboration could see NYSC’s medical personnel and recently acquired mobile clinics deployed to communities where access to healthcare remains limited.
The NYSC Director General, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, raised the proposal during a visit to the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
Nafiu said the Scheme’s nationwide network of medical professionals provides a strong foundation for supporting the ministry’s healthcare interventions.
The NYSC has doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, dermatologists, physiotherapists and medical laboratory scientists among its corps members. Many have participated in rural medical outreaches through the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers, or HIRD, which was introduced in 2014.
The director general said two mobile medical clinics recently donated to the NYSC by Nigeria’s first lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, could further expand the reach of such interventions.
According to him, the mobile facilities could be used periodically to provide medical screenings and treatment for women and children while supporting efforts to tackle maternal and child mortality.
The proposed partnership is not limited to healthcare. The NYSC also wants to work with the ministry on vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities that could help women become more economically independent.
Nafiu suggested that facilities belonging to the Ministry of Women Affairs could be used to support the post-Orientation Course training of corps members under the NYSC’s Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme.
He said corps members could subsequently use the skills acquired to train women in their host communities.
“We are ready to explore opportunities within the Ministry, particularly the use of your training facilities, to strengthen our Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme. Our Corps Members will, in return, empower women in their communities by equipping them with vocational skills through which they can earn sustainable incomes to support their families,” Nafiu said.
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The minister welcomed the proposed areas of cooperation and said stronger ties between the two institutions could help them achieve their shared goal of improving the lives of Nigerians.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim described the meeting as historic and said collaboration between government agencies remains important to achieving sustainable national development.
She proposed that both institutions appoint focal persons who would develop a framework outlining the areas of partnership and guide its implementation.
The ministry and NYSC already have a history of working together during national events, including International Women’s Day and Children’s Day celebrations, where corps members have supported activities through cultural performances and public sensitisation.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim also commended Nafiu’s leadership of the NYSC, describing him as a “quiet achiever” whose stewardship has brought stability to the Scheme.
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The minister described the NYSC as one of Nigeria’s most cherished national institutions, noting its broad impact on generations of young Nigerians.
“There is hardly anyone who has not passed through the NYSC. It is an institution that is very dear to all of us. My own daughter is currently serving, and I appreciate how important the Scheme is to her and to the nation,” she said.
If formalized, the proposed partnership would bring together the NYSC’s nationwide presence and the ministry’s programmes to expand healthcare access while supporting skills development and economic empowerment for women in rural communities.
