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The Federal Government has approved the most far-reaching reforms of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) since the scheme was established in 1973, introducing a civilian-led management structure, specialised career streams, an extended orientation camp and a complete redesign of the programme.
The reforms were approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Monday as part of efforts to transform the NYSC into a skills-driven institution that supports President Bola Tinubu’s target of building a $1 trillion economy.
As part of the decision, the FEC directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to amend the NYSC Act and relevant regulations to provide the legal framework for the reforms.
Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, said the changes were designed to strengthen human capital development and align the scheme with Nigeria’s economic priorities.
“There was a need for us to intervene to build the present ambition of a $1 trillion economy by repositioning the NYSC as a civilian-led, skill-oriented, productivity-driven, and youth-empowering national institution.
“These, we need to strengthen the human capital development to enhance the workforce that is needed for us to promote and align with our national development.
“The reform areas speak to all the strategic aspects of NYSC, starting from the area of the main area of deployment. How are you registering in the NYSC?
“What modality is being used to post you to several states? How are we recognising the areas where we have security challenges? What constitutes the period with which youth corps members are in camp?” she said.
Full list of approved NYSC reforms
1. Civilian operational leadership
The NYSC will now be headed by a civilian, replacing the long-standing practice of appointing serving military officers as Director-General. However, the military will continue to provide security for corps members nationwide.
2. Orientation camp extended to six weeks
The traditional three-week orientation programme has been doubled to six weeks to allow more intensive training and career development.
3. New three-phase orientation programme
The six-week orientation will be divided into:
First two weeks: Civic responsibility, national values and leadership development.
Second two weeks: Career mapping, financial literacy, business planning, access to finance and structured career engagement.
Final two weeks: Stream-specific practical training based on each corps member’s academic background and career interests.
Explaining the new structure, Bala Usman said:
“We’ve segmented the NYSC across 11 different core streams. We have looked to see what are the areas that exist for Nigerian youth that Nigerian youth are interested in.
“So we looked to see how many streams can be done by stream, I mean the type of additional training we can provide you as a graduate, in having graduated from the university.
“Within the orientation camp, there is a new structure where you have the first two weeks, which speaks to laying a foundation on civic responsibility.
“You’ll be made aware of what it is that civic duties mean, our national values, leadership development.
“The next two weeks, we would look to career mapping, basic accounting literacy skills, business planning, and access to finance. How do we access finance? And then we intend to introduce a structured career day programme to enable corps members engage directly with the public.
“But importantly, the final two weeks, which is a minimal period, we intend to have a focused corps stream-specific training. This aligns with the corps members designated stream based on his choice, based on his academic background and skill profile.”
4. Eleven specialised NYSC streams
Corps members will now choose from 11 specialised streams based on their qualifications and career aspirations:
Agric Corps
Medical Corps
Education Corps
Tech and Digital Corps
Legal Corps
Public Service Corps
Infrastructure Corps
Green Corps
Enterprise Corps
Creative Economy Corps
Paramilitary and Security Corps
According to Bala Usman:
“Each corps member, once he has uploaded and he has been recognised and accepted as a corps member, is required to pick one of those corps, and once he registers in that, then we recognise him as a medical corps, and certain trainings will be given for each of those corps within the two weeks.”
5. Skills-based deployment
Graduates will be deployed based on their academic qualifications, professional competencies and selected career streams rather than solely on general national postings.
6. Technology-driven mobilisation
The Federal Government will introduce a fully technology-driven registration and call-up process to improve transparency and efficiency.
7. Risk-sensitive deployment
Posting decisions will take into account security realities across the country to better protect corps members.
8. Structured career development
A formal Career Day programme will be introduced during orientation camps to connect corps members with employers, government agencies and private-sector opportunities.
9. New governance structure
The NYSC will adopt a modern governance framework aimed at improving accountability while maintaining military support for operational security.
10. Camp grading and certification
Orientation camps nationwide will be subjected to a grading and certification system to improve accommodation, facilities and service delivery.
11. New graduation ceremony and uniform
The traditional Passing-Out Parade will be replaced with a new graduation ceremony, while corps members will receive redesigned uniforms intended to project professionalism and national pride.
Bala Usman said President Tinubu had demonstrated bold leadership by approving reforms that previous administrations had not undertaken.
“Mr President, in his usual bold and courageous way, has taken on this holistic reform of the NYSC, which has never been done in the last 53 years of its establishment.
“NYSC will be civilian-led with clarity of the fact that we need to build the skill set of our youth to enable them function and support the government in building a $1 trillion economy.”
Established by Decree No. 24 of May 22, 1973, following the Nigerian Civil War, the NYSC was created to foster national unity by deploying graduates to states outside their regions of origin for one year of compulsory national service. The scheme is currently headed by Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, making the approved reforms the most significant transformation in its history.
