The Reform NYSC Campaign (RNC), a coalition of former corps members and civil society groups, has called on the Federal Government to increase budgetary allocations for the National Youth Service Corps and urgently rehabilitate orientation camps across Nigeria. The groups warned that certain reform proposals under discussion could raise the Scheme's annual running costs beyond N1 trillion, a figure they described as difficult to justify given the country's competing developmental needs.
Coalition Highlights Deteriorating Camp Conditions
In a statement signed by RNC Coordinator Comrade Godsown Aigbe and Spokesperson Princess Mariam Idris, the groups said many orientation camps currently lack adequate accommodation, clean water, healthcare facilities, proper sanitation, and recreational infrastructure. They described these conditions as unsuitable for corps members undergoing their orientation programme.
The RNC called on the Federal Government to conduct a full assessment of all NYSC orientation camps and implement a phased rehabilitation plan to bring them up to acceptable national standards. The groups also urged higher annual allocations to the Scheme so that NYSC management can meet its obligations to corps members in areas such as allowances, healthcare, transportation, security, and insurance.
Funding and Infrastructure Prioritized Over New Reforms
While the groups stated they are not opposed to reform in principle, they cautioned that proposals currently being considered could multiply the NYSC's annual running costs to well over N1 trillion. They argued that such increases would be difficult to justify given Nigeria's other pressing needs.
"The immediate reforms required in the NYSC are clear: government must improve funding and rebuild and modernise the orientation camps. These are the pressing issues that directly affect the welfare, safety and experience of corps members," the statement read. The RNC added that "any reform that does not address these fundamental challenges but instead creates additional layers of expenditure risks turning the NYSC into an increasingly expensive bureaucracy without necessarily improving its core objectives."
Appeals to Government, National Assembly, and Private Partners
The RNC urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to place corps member welfare and camp rehabilitation at the centre of any effort to reposition the Scheme. They also called on the National Assembly to strengthen its oversight of NYSC funding appropriations.
The groups appealed to state governments, businesses, and development partners to consider public-private partnerships to support camp rehabilitation and the provision of basic infrastructure. The RNC reaffirmed its view that the NYSC remains a critical institution for national unity, describing it as one of the few platforms that brings together young Nigerians from different ethnic, religious, and regional backgrounds in a shared national experience.
