The changes are designed to strengthen national unity, equip corps members with practical skills, create employment opportunities and improve the overall effectiveness of the scheme.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a comprehensive overhaul of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), introducing skills-based training, civilian leadership and other far-reaching reforms aimed at repositioning the scheme for youth empowerment and national development, while retaining the mandatory one-year service.
The reforms, approved at the FEC meeting on Monday, mark the first major review of the NYSC since it was established in 1973.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, who briefed journalists after the meeting, said the reform package was developed through extensive consultations involving the Ministries of Youth Development and Education, the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, and young Nigerians.
According to him, the changes are designed to strengthen national unity, equip corps members with practical skills, create employment opportunities and improve the overall effectiveness of the scheme.
Among the key reforms approved by the Council are the digitalisation of NYSC operations, improved security and welfare for corps members, the upgrading of orientation camp facilities through stronger partnerships with state governments, and the redesign of the passing-out parade into a formal graduation ceremony.
The Council also approved the introduction of professional identity certification for corps members and amendments to the NYSC Act to align the scheme with current national development priorities.
Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, said the one-year service year would remain unchanged but would incorporate flexible, skills-based learning pathways.
She explained that specialised groups, including a proposed Digital Corps, could undergo additional training to obtain professional certifications before deployment, enhancing their employability and opportunities for self-employment after service.
Bala Usman also announced a significant change in the administration of the scheme, stating that the NYSC would henceforth remain a civilian-led institution, while the military would continue to provide security and support during orientation exercises.
She said the reforms are intended to consolidate youth development programmes under the NYSC to improve coordination, monitoring and accountability.
To pave the way for implementation, the FEC directed the Attorney-General of the Federation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Development, to amend the NYSC Act and its regulations to provide the necessary legal framework for the approved reforms.
The overhaul represents the most significant restructuring of the NYSC in over five decades and is expected to shift the scheme’s focus beyond national service to include skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and improved employment prospects for Nigerian youths.