NAS demands ban on NYSC posting to high-risk states

By Adewale Sanyaolu

National Association of Seadogs (NAS) has raised a warning over the safety of young Nigerians, calling for an urgent and sweeping reform of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) deployment system amid escalating insecurity across the country.

In a statement yesterday, the NAS Cap’n, Dr. Joseph Oteri, said the worsening security landscape has turned what was once a unifying national programme into a potentially dangerous undertaking for fresh graduates.

He stressed that while the NYSC, established in 1973 in the aftermath of the civil war, has long stood as a symbol of national cohesion, current realities demand a decisive rethink.

“National unity should never come at the cost of the lives and safety of Nigeria’s young graduates,” Oteri warned, underscoring the growing risks corps members face daily.

The association noted that across the country, rising cases of kidnapping, banditry and violent attacks have heightened fears, particularly for corps members required to travel long distances for orientation camps and primary assignments.

It added that highways once considered routine routes have become increasingly perilous, with young graduates now among the most vulnerable.

The association pointed to a troubling pattern: from recent reports of a prospective corps member abducted en route to Sokoto, to earlier incidents in Zamfara and even the Federal Capital Territory, the dangers are no longer isolated, they are recurring. Over the past decade, corps members have repeatedly faced kidnappings, violent attacks and fatal road accidents linked directly to deployment postings.

While dismissing viral claims that families of abducted corps members were officially required to pay ransom, the association noted that such narratives reflect the deep anxiety and loss of confidence surrounding the scheme.

Despite acknowledging the NYSC’s enduring contributions to national development, the association insisted that reform could no longer be delayed.

At the heart of its demands is a clear and urgent call to halt postings to high-risk states.

The association specifically identified Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Borno and Niger as flashpoints where persistent violence has made deployment increasingly unsafe.

Beyond that, it urged authorities to adopt a security-first approach, embedding real-time risk assessments into deployment decisions, allowing corps members to serve in safer or closer regions, improving coordinated travel logistics, expanding insurance coverage and establishing rapid emergency response systems.

“The safety of corps members must be treated as a national priority,” Oteri said.

The association, while maintaining that the NYSC remains a vital institution, noted, “but in the face of Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, it must adapt or risk failing the very young citizens it was created to serve.”