NYSC member wins Fidelity Bank entrepreneurship grant of N500,000
A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Chidubem Okafor serving in Enugu State, has been awarded the Fidelity Bank entrepreneurship grant of N500,000.
During the presentation, Ivuoma Nwosu, the bank’s sales coordinator in the Enugu region, stated that the grant, titled “1st Quarter NYSC GAIM Season 6 Promo Winners,” was aimed at helping corps members “start something (a business)” after their national service, News Agency of Nigeria reports.
She explained that the initiative extended across multiple states in Nigeria, benefiting selected corps members.
In addition to Okafor, eight others from different states were chosen through electronic random selection after opening accounts with the bank during orientation camp.
“Our bank ran a promo in which youth corps members were included, and we went to their camps to open accounts for them so they could benefit from it,” Nwosu said.
“Once you open an account with us, you are eligible for the grant, and we have only one beneficiary in Enugu, who resides in the Enugu North Council Area. It is an entrepreneurship grant to empower youth corps members to start something meaningful after the one-year service year.”
She encouraged Okafor to remain focused and use the funds wisely.
The Chairperson of Enugu North Council Area, Ibenaku Onoh, congratulated Okafor and praised the bank’s initiative. He also personally supported the winner with N200,000, urging other financial institutions to follow Fidelity Bank’s example in empowering young Nigerians.
Similarly, Olukemi Awolola, the NYSC coordinator in Enugu State, advised corps members to take skill acquisition training seriously to enhance their career prospects.
Expressing his gratitude, Okafor said, “I am in the 2024 batch C1, and I thought it was a scam when they came to our orientation camp, but today, the grant will help me financially, and I promise to put it to good use.”