In its 53rd year, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) may be in for a genuine reform to meet current realities. The President Bola Tinubu-led government said the eye-catching structural shakeup, the first since its inception in 1973, will make the scheme safer, more digital and more relevant to jobs and skills, IYABO LAWAL reports.

The Federal Government has approved a sweeping overhaul of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), moving the 53-year-old scheme away from its traditional mobilisation model toward a skills-based system designed to better serve the country’s changing economic and security realities.

Among other things, the reform, announced by the Federal Executive Council, introduced civilian-led management, risk-based deployment, digital registration, and a stronger focus on entrepreneurship, employability, and sector-specific assignments. Many said that matters because the NYSC has long been more than a rite of passage for graduates.

According to officials, the changes are intended to make the NYSC safer, more relevant, and more productive for corps members and the wider economy.

The latest reform is the most sweeping attempt yet to rescue NYSC from years of decline and alleged irrelevance.

Created in 1973 to promote national unity after the civil war, it became a national institution that linked young Nigerians to communities beyond their state of residence or state of origin. Over time, however, safety concerns, poor camp conditions, and doubts about its labour-market value have undermined its relevance.

For over five decades, the traditional khaki uniform, the morning paramilitary drills, and the passing-out parade characterised the post-university experience for millions of Nigerian graduates, but by moving toward a civilian director-general, replacing the passing-out parade with a graduation ceremony, and aligning postings with skills and risk assessments, the Federal Government is effectively admitting that the old NYSC no longer fits Nigeria’s current realities, many analysts noted.

That admission, however, also revives the larger debate. For months, parents, religious groups, and commentators have argued that if the state cannot guarantee safety, it should scrap the scheme altogether, after repeated reports of kidnapping and killing of corps members by outlaws.

From nationalism to economic liberation
THE scheme’s overhaul seeks to tackle the 40 per cent graduate underemployment gap. By transitioning NYSC into 11 distinct professional streams and expanding the orientation format, the government intends to use the yearly influx of graduates as human capital to anchor its long-term target: a $1 trillion national economy.

Proponents have noted that a transition from the NYSC’s traditional model to a skills-based scheme could have a real economic upside if it is implemented well.

According to reports, Nigeria’s labour market challenges are deeply rooted in underemployment rather than outright unemployment, as nearly 40 per cent of university graduates find themselves working in low-productivity, informal roles that bear no relation to their fields of study. The latest reform, the government noted, aims to address this structural deficit directly.

“We are repositioning the NYSC from a simple mobilisation scheme into a national development platform for skills, employability, productivity, and enterprise,” stated the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman.

The main gain would be better matching between young graduates and the country’s economy’s actual needs, which can improve employability, reduce underemployment, and strengthen small businesses, public services, and local production.

Additionally, it could turn the scheme into a more direct pipeline for entrepreneurship and productivity, as the reform idea now being discussed includes digital skills, leadership training, sector-aligned postings, and support for youth empowerment, all of which could help corps members move more quickly into jobs or self-employment after service.

The broader economic case is that the country would be using a large yearly cohort of graduates more efficiently. Instead of treating corps members mainly as general-purpose deployable labour, a skills-driven system could support sectors with visible labour gaps, including agriculture, education, health, technology, and local government administration.

That said, the impact depends on execution. If the training is shallow or the placements remain disconnected from real labour-market demand, the reform may simply rename the old system rather than improve productivity, jobs, or income outcomes.

The strongest economic argument for the change is that it can reduce the mismatch between education and work. In a country where graduate underemployment is widespread, even modest improvements in skills acquisition, digital capability, and enterprise readiness could have a multiplier effect on livelihoods and domestic production.

If the government follows through with funding, sector alignment, and credible measurement of outcomes, the NYSC could become more than a national service ritual, experts stated, noting that it could become a workforce development tool that helps feed Nigeria’s job market, support small firms and make the yearly graduate pipeline more economically productive.

The eleven streams
THE highlight of the 2026 reform is the unbundling of the corps into 11 specialised, skills-based professional streams. Under this new framework, prospective corps members will select their desired stream during their initial online registration, directly aligning their service year with their academic background, personal career objectives, and the immediate needs of the marketplace.

To achieve targeted economic impacts, each specialised stream focuses on a dedicated sector and core functional mandate. The Agric Corps targets national food security through mechanised farming, agro-processing, and supply chain logistics, while the Medical Corps bolsters healthcare infrastructure by deploying personnel into rural medical care, clinical support, and public health initiatives.

In a bid to drive human capital development, the Education Corps will focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, vocational instruction, and foundational literacy.

Concurrently, the Tech and Digital Corps will power the digital economy through software development, data analytics, and cybersecurity infrastructure.

The Legal Corps aims to enhance judicial efficiency by offering public defence support, corporate mediation, and civic legal aid, while the Public Service Corps drives institutional reform through bureaucratic efficiency, digital governance, and modernised civic administration.

Physical development is anchored by the Infrastructure Corps, which channels civil engineering capabilities into technical support for public works, transport networks, and urban planning.
Addressing global and financial challenges, the Green Corps champions climate and sustainability by focusing on renewable energy, waste management, and environmental conservation, while the Enterprise Corps fosters small business growth through MSME consulting, market research, and local trade development.

Lastly, the Creative Economy Corps elevates digital arts and culture through media production, intellectual property management, and entertainment logistics, while the Paramilitary & Security stream safeguards national safety by integrating corps members into border security support, emergency response, and community policing.

The NYSC reform committee was inaugurated on May 6, 2025, as yearly spending rises to almost half a trillion naira. Given the scope and importance of the review, a six- to 12-month timeframe is a reasonable estimate for the committee to conduct thorough research, consultations, and draft recommendations.

The 2025 budget figure for running NYSC is N430.7 billion, with N372.9 billion specifically allocated for corps members’ allowances; miscellaneous expenditure totals N29.5 billion, which includes kits, transportation, and feeding; N97.3 million was earmarked for Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) training materials; N426.2 million for teaching and learning aid equipment; N104.5 million allocated for honourarium and sitting allowances; publicity and advertisement received N165 million; N45 million earmarked for borehole materials; N120 million allocated for double bunk beds; N520 for ambulances; N35 million for life jackets; and N730 million for sports.

While the government is spending N430.7 billion this year, it spent N475.2 billion between 2020 and 2023, signposting the scheme’s rising financial burden.

Between 2016 and 2020, the government reported that it had budgeted over N520 billion for the NYSC. Against this backdrop, the government established a reform committee to provide a new policy document for the scheme.

It was also tasked with recommending legal and policy reforms to modernise the scheme, proposing frameworks for improved funding, monitoring, and evaluation, and submitting a comprehensive report to the Ministry of Youth Development.

Several observers have asserted that while the NYSC remains a vital platform for employment and integration of Nigerian youths, its rising costs and operational challenges demand urgent and transparent reforms.

This move comes amid questions about the scheme’s relevance in today’s fast-changing world, with some calling for its cancellation.

However, for many Nigerians, NYSC remains a vital source of employment and skill acquisition.

The NYSC scheme has its merits and demerits. It provides young Nigerians with valuable work experience, skills, and exposure to different cultures and environments. It promotes national unity and integration, as corps members are posted to states outside their place of origin.
On the other hand, the scheme has been criticised for being outdated and irrelevant. Some have even argued that the scheme is too rigid and fails to accommodate the diverse needs and aspirations of modern Nigerian youth.

The arguments against retaining the programme include that it is a waste of funds, leads to the loss of lives of corps members in crisis-prone or hostile areas, makes youths engage in illicit behaviour during orientation camps where supervision is minimal and even adds little value to host communities, as young graduates with no formal training in teaching are assigned to teach children in rural areas.

However, the biggest argument is that the current operation does not even meet the programme’s objectives.

Prospective corps members and individuals in prominent positions often manipulate their postings to states of their choice, thereby defeating the established purpose.

As education experts have argued, it is hard to see in tangible terms how the success of the NYSC outweighs its failures.

Corps members are largely perceived as not adding further value beyond teaching in schools and serving as ad hoc staff with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during elections, except for a few who hold differing views.

“I believe the programme should be sustained 100 per cent,” Chidi Chukwu, an official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Lagos State, said.
Chukwu added that apart from their involvement in teaching and serving as election field officers, corps members have become an integral part of the community development service.

“The corps members develop their host communities. Some of them build modern-day toilets, either in the markets or the village squares in the communities, where they serve. Some even drill boreholes or initiate projects that last a long time,” Chukwu explained.

On his part, the Executive Director, Institute for Good Governance and Social Responsibility, Abuja, Dr Emma Ude, argued that with high unemployment, the NYSC allowance is the only guaranteed monthly income many graduates will receive for 12 months.

Ude added that for many graduates, the NYSC service year is the only paid employment some of the corps members get for a long time, hence the need to retain it.

But Dr Emeka Nwinyinya, an expert in educational management from Alex Ekwueme Federal University in Ebonyi, noted that NYSC has declined in its significance.

On the planned Adire attire for corps members to replace khaki, stakeholders were unanimous in their opposition to the planned change.

Oluwole Adepoju, an official of the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), noted that NYSC is a national integration scheme, not a cultural troupe, and imposing Adire, a fabric predominantly associated with one region, is to open the door for ethnic rivalry.

“Tomorrow another group will demand Akwete, next day Aso-Oke. Let us not politicise the uniform. The priority now should be welfare, security, and post-service jobs, not changing clothes that have worked for 50 years.”

The spokesperson of the National Parents-Teachers Association in Oyo State, Mrs Olatoun Yusuf, said: “My daughter served in Kano last year. The khaki was the only thing that made her look official and safe when she was going for CDS or election duty. If you now put our children in bright Adire, how will people take them seriously in schools? And who will pay when the colour runs after two washes? Government should fix security and allawee first before talking about fashion.”

A former corps member who served in Lagos, batch C, 2024, Kelechi Nwagbo, also frowned at the idea.

“Honestly, this Adire idea will cause a big problem. Khaki is the same for everybody. Rich or poor, we all look the same. With Adire, some people will wear the original one that sells for N40,000, and others will wear the print version, which sells for N3,000 in the market. The camp will turn into a runway. I believe that the durable khaki and increased allowances will do. Don’t add another problem,” he cautioned.