Follow Us on Google
By Romanus Ugwu
History was made on March 6 last year when Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu officially assumed office as the 23rd Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). His resumption amid high expectations from a man with the magic wand to turn around the scheme did not come as a surprise to many, as almost everybody agreed he was a typical square peg in a square hole.
It is understandable because, apart from his requisite experience in his previous stint with the scheme as NYSC Camp Commandant in Kaduna State in 2008, Brigadier General Nafiu has a very rich résumé, spanning higher academic credentials, military experience, domestic and international exposure to fit into the role.
One year down the line, he has become so good that he has attracted many nicknames like Gen Z DG, Action DG and Performing DG, among many others. In reality, Brigadier General Nafiu is competent in policy and strategy formulation and in interpersonal relations.
Little wonder his resumption and operational efficiency so far have attracted an unending flurry of encomiums, expectedly from prominent Nigerians, including the governor of his home state, Osun, Senator Ademola Adeleke, and the Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande.
For Governor Adeleke, Brigadier General Nafiu is a fine and disciplined professional with a capacity to manage the affairs of one of the nation’s strategic organisation in recognition of his distinguished military career.
According to Governor Adeleke, “The appointment is an affirmation of the confidence in the capacity of Brigadier-General Olakunle, and I am thankful to Mr. President for the opportunity given to one of Osun’s finest citizens.”
Equally in celebrating him during a ceremony to mark his first anniversary, the Youth Minister, Olawande, claimed that Nafiu’s administration has witnessed several initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of staff and corps members.
He said: “Today is special because for the first time in the history of this country, we are marking the first year in office of a hardworking Director-General with several achievements and focused initiatives
“Like many people even call him, he is Gen Z Director-General because of his style of leadership and accessibility. This is the first time we are having it so good that we can rub minds even with both the ministry and the NYSC to see a way forward and how to really impact in the lives of the many young people we have.
“We have a man we even tell to bend his arm down, and who can easily interact with both the staff and the corps members. One of those priorities has been the welfare of the staff and those working in this headquarters. It has been paramount to him to have a working, truly functional clinic because of the welfare of those here,” .Olawande said.
Retrospectively, hitting the ground running, motivated by the inspirational words and his resolve to use the appointment to positively spotlight and ensure achievement of the NYSC mandate, the blind and the deaf could feel the impact of his policy trust, strengthening the NYSC Scheme to meet the evolving needs of contemporary Nigerian society and ensuring its future relevance.
Evidently, his focal points have enhanced the security and welfare of corps members and staff, fostered patriotism, boosted corps members’ personal growth and contributed to national development, in addition to building a resilient workforce and promoting strategic communication.
And just one year into the saddle, there have been manifestations of transformational leadership, a scorecard and a harvest of achievements. While blowing his own trumpet only recently, Brigadier General Nafiu described himself as an achiever.
“With all sense of modesty, I am delighted to note that in the past one year to date, we have worked collectively as a team to reposition the scheme for greater impact and relevance, driven by our core values of discipline, excellence and service to the nation.
“I am proud to share the progress we have made, the challenges we encountered and overcame, and our vision for the future of NYSC. In actualising our vision and mission, upon assuming office on March 6, 2025, I articulated a clear vision for the NYSC, centring on the three pillars of transparent leadership, robust corps welfare, and focus on job creation initiatives.
“This was followed by a policy thrust aimed at strengthening the NYSC Scheme to better meet the evolving needs of contemporary Nigerian society and ensuring its future relevance,” he highlighted.
The realities on the ground have equally confirmed the focal points to include, among others, enhanced security and welfare of corps members and staff. They also involved fostering patriotism and boosting corps members’ personal growth and contribution to national development, building a resilient workforce and promoting strategic communication.
And weighing in more on it, he said: “I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made, with notable achievements in each of these areas. Our efforts have been deliberate, intentional and geared towards repositioning the NYSC to drive national development, foster unity and empower Nigerian youths.”
DG Nafiu, in enumerating other key achievements, noted: “Under my leadership, NYSC has made significant strides in enhancing corps members and staff welfare, operational efficiency and national development. Our focus on transparent leadership, robust corps welfare, and job creation initiatives has yielded tangible results,” he said.
Other achievements recorded in the area of welfare and staff development, according to him, include securing a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) bus to enhance staff and corps members’ transportation and improve welfare.
Other News
While ensuring the successful conduct of the 2025 promotion exercise for career progression and staff motivation, no fewer than 696 senior and 139 junior staff members were promoted in 2025, while 173 members of staff also got approval for conversion to different cadres and salary grade levels.
Another area he silently distinguished himself was in the prompt payment of disengagement allowances to retired staff as post-service welfare, resulting in over 168 staff being paid various sums under the category. He also stamped his accomplishment in facilitating the approval of the implementation of a peculiar allowance for staff with effect from January 2026.
In the area of recognition and awards during the year under review, he disclosed that, “the NYSC, and my humble self, won the following awards: Best supporting Chief Executive (2025) by SERVICOM National Office, best Performing SERVICOM Unit (Parastatal), Team ‘A’, at the SERVICOM Presidency’s 2025 Annual End-of-Year Award Meeting.”
“Others are Most Compliant Public Sector on Data Protection (Federal) by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) – February, 2026, hosting of President’s NYSC National Honours Award, combined President’s NYSC Honours Award ceremony for years 2020-2023, aimed at recognising outstanding contributions to the growth and development of Nigeria, which took place in July, 2025.
“Accordingly, as part of the awards, the 210 awardees (ex-corps members) were given automatic employment in the Federal Civil Service by the Federal Government,” he disclosed.
Brigadier General Nafiu has equally distinguished himself in operational efficiency and partnerships, which reflected in the successful conduct of the recruitment exercise to address manpower needs and enhance operational efficiency, resulting in over 850 new staff joining the employment of the Scheme through the exercise.
The sustained collaboration with relevant stakeholders, which led to improved support for NYSC programmes and activities nationwide, renewed advocacy and strategic engagement with the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and some state governments, in furtherance of the objectives and overall interest of the Scheme are his eloquent and visible achievement.
In infrastructure and resources under his leadership, the scheme has received a donation of two mobile clinics from the First Lady of Nigeria, Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in February 2026. Equally, in policy and reform, General Nafiu processed and facilitated the approval of the NYSC Scheme of Service, last revised in 1999, and the NYSC Conditions of Service, last revised in 2013, by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF) for efficient and effective service delivery by the Scheme.
There is also enhanced corps members’ welfare, which resulted in the approval of upward review of the amounts for corps members’ kit items, daily feeding and transport allowances with effect from 2027.
Other achievements, according to available verifiable records in the public glare, include prompt payment of insurance for corps members and job creation initiatives. He explained: “We have expanded partnerships with private sector organisations, creating job opportunities for corps members. Our entrepreneurship programmes have empowered many corps members to start their own businesses.”
“We equally deepened our core mandate in national unity and integration. We have fostered sociocultural integration through community development activities, improved and well-packaged NYSC cultural festivals in the camps, and valuable collaborations to promote mutual understanding and national cohesion.
“In innovative approaches, we have continued to improve our operations through digital solutions to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the system. We have worked tirelessly to improve staff welfare and career development within the year under review. Accordingly, no fewer than 51 members of staff have benefited from medical and welfare assistance.
“Apart from regular workshops organised by departments, including pre-mobilisation workshop, pre-orientation workshop, Annual Management Conference (AMC), etc, during which various categories of Schedule Officers converge for training and knowledge sharing, over 936 members of staff have participated in seminars, training and workshops put together by reputable organisations across the country.
“Such organisations include Federal Training Centres, Centre for Management Development, Institute for Strategic Management of Nigeria (ISMN), Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC), Institute for Humanitarian Studies and Social Development (IHSD), etc.
“In strategic partnerships, I am glad to note that we have strengthened partnerships with key stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector organisations, and NGOs, to drive national development and youth empowerment,” he enumerated.
However, despite the visible laudable and commendable achievements, the DG admitted that it has not been an easy ride considering the monumental challenges and lessons he has learnt from them.
According to him, “No doubt, we have faced challenges, including security and funding concerns; we have, however, learnt from them. Therefore, we have adopted strategies to ensure that the Scheme remains relevant and effective.”
And on the way forward, he promised that, “as we move on in this journey towards the greatness of the NYSC, we must continue to reposition the Scheme to meet contemporary demands. We shall further expand our collaboration with stakeholders to drive national unity, youth empowerment and development. Our focus shall be on digital transformation, as well as entrepreneurship and skills development.
“As I reflect on the past year, I am proud of what we have achieved together. Our collective efforts have driven progress, innovation and excellence in NYSC. I am confident that with our continued commitment and dedication, the bright future of NYSC is assured. Let us continue to work together, leveraging our strengths and synergies, to drive national development, foster national unity and make Nigeria proud. Together, we can achieve even greater heights because Nigeria is ours and Nigeria we serve,” he assured.
.
