The Ogun State Government has explained the overcrowded conditions at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Sagamu after a viral video showing prospective corps members sleeping in a packed hall sparked public outrage.
Gatekeepers News reports that the video, which circulated on social media on Monday, showed graduates sleeping on mattresses arranged closely together on the floor of a multipurpose hall, leaving little room for movement.
The hall was reportedly converted into a temporary sleeping area to accommodate the large number of prospective corps members arriving for the orientation exercise.
The footage triggered widespread criticism, with Nigerians questioning the NYSC’s preparedness and demanding improved accommodation and welfare arrangements for participants.
Reacting to the controversy, Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun, said in a statement on Monday that the video showed a temporary arrangement made during a registration exercise that extended into the night.
Akinmade explained that the Sagamu facility, popularly known as the Five-Star Camp, which ordinarily accommodates slightly more than 2,000 corps members per batch, received over 4,300 prospective corps members for the current exercise.
He said the unexpected increase in numbers put pressure on the available facilities, while registration, screening, credential verification and hostel allocation remained the exclusive responsibility of NYSC officials.
According to him, prospective corps members were required to complete the necessary verification and screening procedures before being assigned hostel accommodation.
Those whose registration extended into the night were temporarily accommodated in the multipurpose hall, where mattresses were provided.
“The state received more than 4,300 prospective corps members for the current batch, compared with slightly over 2,000 in previous batches, increasing the pressure on available camp facilities,” Akinmade said.
The state government said it had intervened to ease the situation by providing 500 mattresses during the current orientation exercise.
The Akarigbo of Remo also donated 100 mattresses, followed by an additional donation of 200.
Akinmade maintained that although the NYSC was responsible for managing registration and accommodation arrangements at the camp, the state government had consistently supported the scheme through interventions aimed at improving corps members’ welfare.
He recalled that Governor Abiodun recently approved ₦50,000 each for 3,050 corps members participating in the 2026 Batch C, Stream I, to support their transportation.
The governor’s aide also said Ogun State had been adjudged the best in the country in NYSC administration, describing the recognition as evidence of the government’s sustained commitment to the scheme.
He urged Nigerians to distinguish between the operational responsibilities of the NYSC and the supportive role of the state government, assuring that the administration would continue to assist corps members.
Outrage over camp conditions
Meanwhile, MonITNG, a civic technology and accountability organisation, condemned the reported conditions at the camp, describing them as “a national disgrace that demands immediate intervention.”
In a lengthy post on its X handle, the organisation alleged that some prospective corps members had been asked to return home because of inadequate accommodation, while others struggled to secure sleeping spaces.
It questioned the NYSC’s preparedness to receive the large number of graduates expected to participate in the orientation exercise.
“How can a national programme responsible for receiving thousands of graduates fail to make adequate preparations for their arrival? Was the number of prospective corps members not known beforehand? Why were sufficient accommodation, sanitation and other essential facilities not provided?” the organisation asked.
MonITNG called on the NYSC Director-General, the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and other relevant authorities to investigate the situation and improve accommodation, healthcare, sanitation, feeding and security at orientation camps nationwide.
Economist Pat Utomi also criticised the situation, questioning why Nigerians continued to accept poor conditions in public institutions.
In a post on his X handle, Utomi said the conditions were inappropriate for young graduates participating in a national service programme.
“Why do we keep normalising abnormal conditions in Nigeria? This is the NYSC camp in Sagamu, Ogun State. You could show this video to a foreigner, and they would probably mistake the place for a prison hall,” he wrote.
“Our young corps members should never be subjected to such deplorable conditions. They deserve dignity, better facilities and a much better camping experience.”
The NYSC national spokesperson had yet to respond to the public criticism as of the time of filing this report.
