President Bola Tinubu has defended his administration’s far-reaching reforms of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), stating that the initiative is intended to provide young Nigerians with practical skills, enhance their employability and prepare them to contribute meaningfully to national development.
In a post shared on his official X account on Wednesday, Tinubu described the reforms approved by the Federal Executive Council on Monday as the most far-reaching changes introduced to the NYSC since the scheme was created in 1973.
According to the President, the reforms represent the fulfilment of a commitment he made during his inauguration to expand opportunities for young Nigerians and place them at the centre of his government’s development agenda.
“On Monday, at the Federal Executive Council, our administration approved the most consequential reforms of the National Youth Service Corps Scheme since its establishment in 1973,” he said.
“On the day I was sworn in as your President, I promised to create meaningful opportunities for our young people. I said women and youth would feature prominently in our administration, and this reform is partly the actualisation of that promise.”
Tinubu stated that although the NYSC has promoted national unity for more than five decades, changing national circumstances now demand that the scheme embraces a wider and more impactful role.
“Our young people are nearly 70 per cent of our population. They are not a burden to be managed… They are the engine of the one-trillion-dollar economy we are building and the hope of this nation.
“We are repositioning the NYSC from a mobilisation scheme into a national development platform for skills, employability, productivity and enterprise.”
As part of the reforms, the NYSC orientation programme will now last six weeks, beginning with civic responsibility, leadership, values and personal development before moving into career readiness, entrepreneurship, digital and financial literacy, as well as specialised training aligned with participants’ academic qualifications and career interests.
Tinubu explained that the specialised tracks would include agriculture, education, health, technology, law, public service, infrastructure, the green economy, enterprise, the creative industry, and para-military and security services.
He also unveiled additional measures to strengthen the safety of corps members, explaining that postings to security-sensitive states would depend on risk assessments and would give priority to indigenes, residents, graduates of institutions in those states and neighbouring states within the same geopolitical zone.
“Deployment to security-challenged states will be guided by risk assessment. It will prioritise indigenes, residents, graduates of institutions in those states and those from neighbouring states within the same geopolitical zones,” he said.
“The call-up process will become technology-driven and primary assignments will be better aligned with each corps member’s skills, academic background and career stream.”
The President further revealed that the NYSC would henceforth be led by a civilian Director-General, supported by three Executive Directors, including one drawn from the military or paramilitary services to oversee security matters.
He added that orientation camps would be evaluated under a national grading and certification framework, while the traditional Passing-Out Parade would be replaced with a Graduation Ceremony to better reflect the programme’s expanded objectives.
Tinubu said he had instructed the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and the Federal Ministry of Justice to commence the amendment of the NYSC Act and other relevant regulations to provide the reforms with the necessary legal foundation.
He also praised the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, his Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, the Federal Ministry of Education and members of the reform committee for their roles in shaping the initiative.
Addressing young Nigerians, Tinubu said: “This nation believes in you. We are building a country worthy of your talent, your ambition and your future.”
