President Bola Tinubu has announced a major overhaul of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), describing it as a shift from a mobilisation-focused scheme to a development platform centred on skills, employability, and enterprise.
The President said the reform package, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), represents the most significant restructuring of the scheme since its establishment in 1973.
In a post on his verified X handle on Wednesday, Bola Tinubu, he said the changes are designed to equip young Nigerians for modern economic realities while preserving NYSC’s original mandate of promoting national unity.
Tinubu noted that the NYSC, which has operated for 53 years, must now evolve to meet the demands of a rapidly changing economy, especially as young people make up a large share of the population.
He said Nigerian youths, who constitute nearly 70 percent of the population, are central to the country’s ambition of building a trillion-dollar economy and must be empowered through structured training and opportunity creation.
Under the new reforms, the orientation programme would last six weeks, with expanded focus on civic responsibility, leadership development, entrepreneurship, digital literacy, and financial skills.
Corps members would also undergo specialised training aligned with their academic backgrounds and career paths, covering sectors such as agriculture, health, education, technology, law, infrastructure, the green economy, and creative industries.
Tinubu added that deployment processes would now be guided by security risk assessments, with priority given to indigenes, residents, and graduates from institutions in affected or neighbouring states.
The President also announced governance changes, including the introduction of a civilian Director-General to lead the NYSC, supported by three executive directors, one of whom would oversee security matters drawn from military or paramilitary services.
In addition, orientation camps would be evaluated under a new national certification framework, while the passing-out ceremony would be redesignated as a graduation event to reflect the enhanced training structure.
The President said the reforms would require amendments to the NYSC Act and related regulations, which have already been directed to the Ministry of Youth Development and the Ministry of Justice.
He reaffirmed that the administration remained committed to investing in young people, saying the reforms are aimed at building a generation better prepared for work, innovation, and national development
