The Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Monday June 29 approved a comprehensive reform of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to align the 53-year-old scheme with Nigeria’s current development priorities.
Mr Ayodele Olawande, Minister of Youth Development, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting, presided over by President Bola Tinubu. He said the reform followed a comprehensive review undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the Federal Ministries of Education, the Office of the Special Adviser to the president, and other stakeholders.
Olawande said the reform was designed to reposition the NYSC beyond mobilisation into a platform for skills development, employment and national growth.
The minister said the reform would strengthen digital operations and transformation, enhance self-development, improve the welfare and security of corps members, and address emerging national priorities. He said the framework also provides for the upgrading of orientation camps through stronger collaboration with state governments.
The minister added that the passing-out parade would be redesigned into a formal graduation ceremony to reflect the skills and competencies acquired by corps members. He also disclosed that the reform would introduce a strengthened professional identity for corps members and review the NYSC Act to support the new framework.
Mrs Hadiza Bala Usman , Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU), said with the reform, the NYSC will be led by a civilian in its operational leadership, stressing that the military will continue to handle security for corps members across the country.
According to her, the reform will reposition the NYSC as a skill-oriented, productivity-driven, youth-empowering institution that directly supports the administration’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.
Leave a comment