President Bola Tinubu has explained why his administration approved new reforms for the National Youth Service Corps, saying the changes will give young Nigerians practical skills and better prepare them to help build the country.
He said the reforms, approved by the Federal Executive Council on Monday, also fulfilled his promise to create meaningful opportunities for young people.
Tinubu made this known in a statement shared on his X handle on Wednesday.
“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,” Tinubu said.
He said the NYSC had promoted national unity for more than five decades but added that today’s Nigeria needed a different approach.
“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,” he said.
Tinubu said the orientation programme would now last six weeks. It will cover civic responsibility, leadership, values, career readiness, entrepreneurship, digital and financial literacy, alongside specialised training based on participants’ academic backgrounds and career goals.
Corps members will also receive training in 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 said the reforms would improve safety through risk-based deployment, with priority given to indigenes, residents, graduates of schools in affected states, and those from neighbouring states within the same geopolitical zones.
“The call-up process will become technology-driven and primary assignments will be better aligned with each corps member’s skills, academic background and career stream,” he added.
He said the NYSC would now have a civilian Director-General supported by three Executive Directors, including a Security Services Executive Director from the military or paramilitary.
Orientation camps will also be graded under a national certification framework, while states must meet minimum operating standards.
“The Passing-Out Parade will become a Graduation Ceremony because our corps members will no longer merely complete service. They will graduate as trained civic and professional contributors to national development,” he said.
Tinubu praised the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, his Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, the Federal Ministry of Education and members of the reform committee. He also directed the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and the Federal Ministry of Justice to begin amending the NYSC Act and related regulations to give the reforms legal backing.
“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 said.
