President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced a major change to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) deployment process, stating that prospective corps members will increasingly be posted closer to their home states or areas of residence when assigned to locations facing security concerns.
Gatekeepers News reports that the directive forms part of a broad reform package recently approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to modernise the 53-year-old scheme and improve the safety and welfare of participants.
According to the president, deployment decisions for states affected by security challenges will now take into account factors such as a corps member’s state of origin, place of residence, institution attended, and proximity to the state of assignment.
Tinubu described the reforms as one of the most significant changes in the history of the NYSC, noting that the programme is being repositioned to focus more on skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, employability and national development.
Under the new framework, the scheme will be headed by a civilian director-general, while orientation camps will be subject to a national grading and certification system. The traditional Passing-Out Parade will also be replaced with a graduation ceremony to reflect the expanded training and development focus of the programme.
The president said the government intends to ensure that every participant leaves the scheme with practical skills and better opportunities for employment or business creation.
Other reforms include the introduction of specialised service streams, a revised six-week orientation camp structure, digitalisation of key processes and proposed amendments to the NYSC Act to support the changes.
