The Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mallam Ali M. Ali, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to promoting national unity and projecting Nigeria’s positive image globally.
Ali made the commitment on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, during a courtesy visit ahead of the scheme’s 53rd anniversary.
He said the media remained critical in amplifying narratives that strengthened national cohesion and improved Nigeria’s international reputation.
According to him, the NYSC scheme has contributed significantly to national development and manpower growth since its establishment in 1973.
Ali said that corps members posted to NAN over the years had made meaningful contributions, with many eventually retained as permanent staff.
He recalled that a former Editor-in-Chief of NAN, who retired in 2023, began his journalism career in the agency as a corps member.
“The NYSC scheme has been impactful over the years and has especially given the agency a good number of staff as some who served in the agency were retained,” he said.
Ali commended the NYSC leadership for strengthening civil engagement and sustaining collaboration with stakeholders across the country.
“I must commend your leadership and your team for what you have done in engaging civil society and strengthening the scheme’s relevance over the years,” he said.
The NAN boss described the agency as Africa’s largest news content provider, with partnerships across major international organizations.
He said NAN maintained foreign offices in New York, Johannesburg and London, with plans to expand further, including a proposed office in Mozambique.
“We have partnerships with global brands such as Reuters, AFP, Xinhua and MENA. Through these partnerships, Nigerian stories are projected internationally,” he said.
Ali added that such collaborations would help project African narratives globally and ensured positive stories about Nigeria were widely shared.
Earlier, Nafiu said the visit was to strengthen collaboration with the media in promoting NYSC activities aimed at national unity and development.
According to him, the scheme remains one of Nigeria’s most successful public policies since its inception.
He said activities marking the 53rd anniversary would begin with lectures and internal programmes across area offices, state secretariats and the national directorate headquarters.
“We are instituting an annual lecture as part of activities to commemorate the anniversary and deepen conversations around the relevance of the NYSC,” he said.
Nafiu explained that the celebration would be low-key since it did not coincide with a milestone year.
He said the NYSC had introduced long service awards to recognize staff who had served meritoriously for more than 30 years.
“We discovered that some staff members had worked for more than 30 years without recognition, so we decided to begin appreciating their dedication and commitment,” he said.
According to him, recipients will receive certificates personally signed by the D-G in recognition of their service.
Nafiu added that future anniversaries would be expanded into week-long events featuring medical outreach, lectures and other public engagement activities.(NAN)
