Review of NYSC at 53

the plan by the Federal Government to review the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme after 53 years of its existence is overdue. The announced reforms focus on transitioning the agency from military to civilian leadership. The focus is also to build workforce, digital and entrepreneurial skills to align with the country’s youth development and economic objectives as well as the Federal Government’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.

The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, who announced the reforms, said the scheme was being transformed into a platform to unite Nigeria and equip its young people with the skills, experience and opportunities needed to thrive in a fast-changing world.

He added that the review included a technology-driven call-up process, risk-sensitive deployment to better protect corps members, a redesigned six-week orientation programme with stronger focus on leadership, entrepreneurship, digital skills and specialised career streams, skills-based primary assignments aligned with academic background and career pathways. It would also include modern governance with civilian operational leadership while the military continues to provide security support, improve camp standards through a national grading and certification system, and a new graduation ceremony to replace the Passing Out Parade, alongside a redesigned NYSC uniform that reflects professionalism and national pride.”

While the first two weeks of the extended duration for orientation will focus on civic responsibility, leadership and national values, the next two weeks will focus on financial literacy, business planning, career mapping and access to finance. The last two weeks will introduce specialised training tailored to each corps member’s chosen stream.

Also, there will be introduction of optional two-year specialised Medical and Teacher corps to address critical gaps in underserved rural communities. There will also be a creation of a N2 billion Innovation Fund and a plan to empower 5,000 corps members with up to N10 million each for entrepreneurial ventures. 

Corps members are expected to select specific streams tailored to their academic background and career goals during registration. The streams are agriculture corps, creative economy corps, education corps, enterprise corps, green economy corps, infrastructure corps, legal corps, medicine corps, paramilitary/security corps, public service corps, and tech and digital corps.

The Federal Executive Council, which approved the reforms, has directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to amend the NYSC Act and relevant regulations to provide legal backing for the approved changes and enable immediate implementation of the new framework.

Government should think over the planned reforms and get input from members of the public. It can do a pilot on the reform using Lagos and Abuja. Already, mixed reactions have continued to trail the reforms. While some Nigerians agree largely with the details of the reforms, some others point out what they consider to be anomalies in the review.

A member of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, said the current reforms could erode the objectives of the scheme and undermine Nigeria’s defence policy. He urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend its implementation.

Over the years, Agbese added, corps members were usually deployed to support critical sectors such as education, health care and electoral services. Hence, he noted, placing the scheme under a civilian leadership and reducing it to a skill acquisition centre would not be healthy for our national life. He suggested sustaining the military training, which is an international practice that contributes to discipline, patriotism and national preparedness.

Following the Nigerian Civil War, the NYSC scheme was established by decree No.24 of May 22, 1973 to promote national unity. Every year, graduates are deployed to states outside their regions of origin for one year.      

One of the challenges that have faced the scheme is insecurity. Corps members have been killed during elections as well as by terrorists. Some corps members have been raped and dehumanised by state actors.

Preferential postings and treatment have also been the bane of the scheme. Only children of influential men are posted to big agencies and conglomerates. Abuja and Lagos are usually reserved for their children as well. 

In reforming the agency, security of corps members must be prioritised. They must not be posted to insecure states/local government areas. In fact, corps members should be allowed to choose where to serve outside their states or regions of origin.

Federal Government should retain the present NYSC uniform and military parades. Anybody can head the agency, whether military or civilian.   

We consider having 11 skills divisions as being too many. Let entrepreneurship and few skills be part of the orientation. Some of the skills envisaged for NYSC can be incorporated in the curricular of universities. 

There is no need to increase orientation to six weeks. If it must be increased, then the NYSC authorities should make orientation camps fit for human habitation by enhancing the security, accommodation, health care, and quality of meals served. The allowance of corps members should be increased in view of the present economic realities. The camps should be in state capitals where security can be guaranteed. In all, the service can be made optional. The review should be comprehensive and holistic.