Nigerians have expressed mixed reactions to the Federal Government’s comprehensive reforms of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), supporting the skills-based approach while raising concerns about implementation, funding, infrastructure and sustainability nationwide.
Respondents who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday said the reforms could enhance the scheme’s relevance, provided government ensures transparency, adequate funding and effective implementation nationwide.
Mr Jude Ikang, a civil servant and father of three graduates, described the proposed skills-based reforms as the most significant aspect of the policy, saying they would better align national service with workforce needs.
“The reform to be sector-based is in order. Corps members should be posted to places that further what they started during the orientation programme,” he said.
Ikang said graduates from specialised disciplines should have opportunities to diversify into emerging sectors such as technology, climate change, agriculture and the creative economy, thereby broadening career prospects and national development.
He added that aligning primary assignments with graduates’ disciplines would improve productivity and efficiency, stressing that such a system should be institutionalised across public and private sectors for sustainable impact.
“This is absolutely the way to go. There is no going back at this point,” he said.
According to him, while the proposed six-week orientation camp was commendable, employability and entrepreneurship training should continue throughout the one-year service period to better prepare graduates for labour markets.
“Even six weeks is still very short to properly prepare graduates for gainful employment. Job preparation should continue throughout the service year,” he said.
Ikang also called for stronger digitalisation of NYSC operations, particularly in issuing call-up letters, discharge certificates and certificates of exemption, to enhance efficiency, accessibility and administrative transparency nationwide.
He further advocated a comprehensive review of deployment procedures to reflect prevailing security realities, noting that insecurity had become a nationwide concern requiring more flexible operational arrangements and policies.
“Deployment and orientation programmes should be flexible because insecurity is no longer confined to one part of the country,” he said.
On the proposed transition from military to civilian operational leadership, Ikang urged government to retain the military’s disciplinary structure, arguing that it remains critical to the scheme’s continued success.
“Military discipline and coordination remain key to the success of the programme and should be sustained,” he said.
He described the proposed redesign of the NYSC uniform and replacement of the Passing-Out Parade with a graduation ceremony as secondary issues compared with improving programme quality and outcomes.
“Focus should be on value addition rather than changing nomenclature,” he said.
Mr Gordon Ebuka, another respondent, opposed the extension of orientation camp from three to six weeks, citing security concerns and questioning the necessity of keeping corps members longer.
“The longer corps members stay in camp, the more exposed they become to security threats,” he said.
Ebuka argued that specialised career streams would be more effective if integrated into tertiary institution curricula rather than introduced during orientation camps, where time for comprehensive training remains limited.
“Learning those skills over several years in school is better than trying to achieve them within six weeks,” he said.
He also questioned the need to redesign the NYSC uniform, maintaining that government should prioritise human capital development and welfare improvements over cosmetic changes to the programme.
Mrs Sharon Kubanie, a lawyer and parent, described the reforms as a significant step toward modernising the NYSC and making the scheme more responsive to contemporary national development needs.
“I think the introduction of specialised career streams and skills-based deployment will improve productivity and career growth,” she said.
Kubanie also commended plans to digitalise operations and adopt security-based deployment measures, noting that both initiatives would enhance transparency, accountability and the overall welfare of corps members.
She, however, expressed reservations about replacing military leadership with civilian operational leadership, questioning whether civilian administrators would be able to maintain existing standards of discipline and order.
“The military structure promotes discipline, order and punctuality. The question is whether civilian leadership can maintain the same standards,” she said.
Mrs Ibironke Asset, also a parent, said leadership competence was more important than whether the scheme was managed by military or civilian administrators under the proposed reforms.
“The reforms are largely positive, especially those focused on security, digitalisation and aligning service with graduates’ skills,” she said.
She added that the success of the reforms would depend on adequate funding, proper execution and sustained political commitment from successive administrations responsible for implementing the policy framework.
Mr Ikang Enang, an educationist, expressed doubts about government’s capacity to implement the reforms effectively, citing decades of inadequate infrastructure and poor living conditions across several orientation camps.
“After 53 years, many camps still lack decent toilets, accommodation and feeding. Extending camp to six weeks without fixing these challenges will amount to torture,” he said.
Mr Julius Silver supported the extension of orientation camp, provided the additional period is dedicated to practical skills acquisition, entrepreneurship training and leadership development for participants nationwide.
“The specialised career streams will allow corps members to serve in areas matching their qualifications and make national service more productive,” he said.
NAN reports that the Federal Executive Council approved the comprehensive reform of the NYSC on Monday to align the scheme with Nigeria’s current development priorities and emerging workforce demands.
The Minister of Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande, said the reforms would strengthen digital operations, improve corps members’ welfare and security, and expand skills development and entrepreneurship opportunities nationwide.
The reforms will also redesign the Passing-Out Parade into a graduation ceremony, introduce civilian operational leadership and amend the NYSC Act to provide legal backing for the framework. NAN