THE Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has called for a comprehensive reform of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme to better equip corps members with the skills necessary to create jobs and thrive in the modern workforce.
Olawande, who spoke with journalists, made the remarks during the 2025 Annual Management Conference of the NYSC in Abuja on Monday, April 7.
He stressed the importance of priortising the skill-for-job component in training corps members.
He also complemented the recent calls for reform of the youth service and growing concern among many over the lack of practical training and job readiness among corps members.
He emphasised the need to shift the focus from service to the fatherland, towards empowering corps members with relevant skills and knowledge that would prepare them for life after service.
He further advocated for a National Internship Scheme that would better prepare corps members for post-service life by providing them with relevant training and certifications that could lead to more fulfilling career opportunities.
“The only way we can make things better, even better than applause and praise, is to reform the NYSC. I’m not saying that things aren’t being done properly, no, I’m not saying that things are not going well,” he said.
While Olawande’s call for reform to make the NYSC’s one year more effective, his stance appeared to contradict the recent proposal from the Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa.
On Friday, April 4, Alausa had suggested extending the mandatory service period from one to two years.
Alausa made the call when the NYSC Director-General, Olakunle Nafiu, visited him in Abuja on Friday, April 4.
According to a statement on Saturday, April 5, by the NYSC Public Relations Director, Caroline Embu, the minister advocates for the extension of national service from one to two years.
He believes it will enable the expansion of the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) training programme content for corps members.
“You have done so well as an organisation. Let NYSC give people more opportunities to become job creators that will meet the needs of the country,” Alausa told the NYSC boss.
His reaction, however, generated public concern as some Nigerians expressed their displeasure with the proposed extension.
Established in 1973, the NYSC is a programme designed by the Nigerian government to foster national unity, promote patriotism, and equip young people with self-employment skills, among other objectives.
In recent years, various stakeholders have called for the reform of the NYSC to better align it with the skills and training needed by young Nigerians to succeed in the workforce.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M