Tinubu says NYSC reforms will equip corps members with skills, improve security and reposition the scheme for national development.
President Bola Tinubu has said his administration is repositioning the 53-year-old National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from a mobilisation scheme into a national development platform focused on skills acquisition, employability, productivity and enterprise.
The President disclosed this on Wednesday in a post on his verified X account, @officialABAT, where he explained that the reforms approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) represent the most far-reaching changes to the scheme since its establishment in 1973.
Tinubu said the reforms are aimed at preparing young Nigerians for the demands of the modern economy while preserving the NYSC’s core objective of promoting national unity.
“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.
“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.
“For 53 years, the NYSC has served the cause of national unity. That mission remains important and must be preserved. But the Nigeria of today demands more.”
Describing Nigerian youths as the country’s greatest asset, the President said: “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.”
He explained that the orientation programme will now run for six weeks, beginning with civic responsibility, leadership, values and personal development before progressing to career readiness, entrepreneurship, digital and financial literacy.
According to him, corps members will subsequently receive specialised training aligned with their academic backgrounds and career pathways in sectors including agriculture, health, education, technology, law, public service, infrastructure, the green economy, enterprise, the creative economy, and para-military and security services.
“Every corps member must leave NYSC better prepared for work, enterprise and national service,” he said.
Tinubu also announced new security measures, stating that deployment to security-challenged states would now be guided by risk assessment and would prioritise indigenes, residents, graduates of institutions in affected states and those from neighbouring states within the same geopolitical zones.
He added that the call-up process would become technology-driven, while primary assignments would be better aligned with each corps member’s skills, academic qualifications and career stream.
On governance reforms, the President said the NYSC would now be headed by a civilian Director-General, supported by three Executive Directors, including a Security Services Executive Director who will be a military or paramilitary officer.
He also disclosed that orientation camps would be assessed under a national grading and certification framework, while states would be required to meet minimum operational standards.
Tinubu further announced that the Passing-Out Parade would be renamed a Graduation Ceremony to reflect the enhanced training corps members would receive under the reformed scheme.
“I have directed the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and the Federal Ministry of Justice to commence the process of amending the NYSC Act and subsidiary regulations.
“To every young Nigerian: this nation believes in you.
“We are building a country worthy of your talent, your ambition and your future,” the President stated.
