NYSC: Deployment to states’ll be guided by risk assessment — Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has announced that the deployment of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to states across the country will henceforth be guided by security risk assessments as part of sweeping reforms aimed at repositioning the scheme for national development.
The President also reaffirmed that the NYSC will now be headed by a civilian Director-General, replacing the long-standing practice of appointing military officers to lead the scheme.
Tinubu further disclosed that the NYSC orientation programme has been extended to six weeks and redesigned to equip corps members with practical skills, entrepreneurial knowledge and leadership training that will better prepare them for employment, enterprise and national service.
The reforms were approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during its meeting on Monday. Following the meeting, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, and the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, briefed journalists on the far-reaching changes to the scheme established in 1973.
In a statement shared on his official X account on Wednesday, President Tinubu said the reforms were designed to strengthen governance, improve standards and restore the dignity of the NYSC.
“On Monday, at the Federal Executive Council, our administration approved the most consequential reforms of the National Youth Service Corps since its establishment in 1973,” the President wrote.
He recalled his inauguration pledge to create meaningful opportunities for young Nigerians, noting that the reforms represent a fulfilment of that commitment.
“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,” he stated.
According to Tinubu, while the NYSC has served as a vehicle for promoting national unity for more than five decades, the country’s current realities demand a more impactful and development-oriented programme.
“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. 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 said.
Explaining the rationale behind the reforms, the President said the scheme is being transformed from a mobilisation programme into a national development platform focused on skills acquisition, employability, productivity and entrepreneurship.
He explained that the revamped six-week orientation programme will begin with civic responsibility, leadership, values and personal development before progressing to career readiness, entrepreneurship, digital literacy and financial education.
The final phase, he added, will provide corps members with specialised training aligned with their academic backgrounds and career aspirations.
According to Tinubu, the specialised training will cover sectors including agriculture, healthcare, education, technology, law, public service, infrastructure, the green economy, enterprise development, the creative economy and para-military and security services.
The President also emphasised that corps members would only be deployed to security-challenged states after careful risk assessment, a move aimed at strengthening their safety while ensuring the continued achievement of the scheme’s objectives.
Tinubu expressed confidence that the reforms would produce a new generation of corps members better equipped to contribute meaningfully to national development and drive Nigeria’s economic growth.