The Young Leaders Forum of Nigeria (YLFN) has commended the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for its enduring contributions to national unity, education, and rural development over more than five decades. The forum urged the federal government to increase funding for the scheme rather than pursue structural reforms that could alter its founding purpose.
NYSC's Role in Communities
Dr Marcus Abechi, National Coordinator of YLFN, issued a statement on Tuesday emphasising that the NYSC has remained true to its founding vision by bringing young graduates from diverse ethnic, religious, and regional backgrounds together and deploying them to serve in communities outside their states of origin. He noted that the scheme has helped fill critical gaps in public schools, healthcare facilities, and agricultural services in underserved rural areas.
"The NYSC remains one of the most successful nation-building programmes ever established in Nigeria. For over five decades, it has continued to unite young Nigerians across ethnic, religious and regional divides while making invaluable contributions to education, healthcare, agriculture and community development," the group said.
The forum added that corps members deployed as teachers have kept academic activities running in schools where qualified staff are in short supply, directly improving access to education in remote communities.
YLFN Position on SAED and Funding
On the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, the YLFN said the initiative is already equipping corps members with practical vocational and business management skills and delivering measurable results. The group rejected any suggestion that the NYSC should be converted into a conventional skills acquisition centre.
"The SAED initiative is not only functional but has continued to empower corps members with practical skills across various sectors of the economy. The challenge confronting the programme is not its structure or design but the level of funding available for its expansion and sustainability," the statement read.
The forum said better funding would allow the scheme to expand training programmes, improve corps members' welfare, and strengthen community development projects.
Warning Against Restructuring
YLFN also warned that changing the NYSC's core mandate risked undermining the very foundation that has made it effective. It urged the National Assembly and other stakeholders to direct resources towards reinforcing the scheme's existing framework.
"A well-funded NYSC will be better positioned to produce more empowered youths, stronger communities and a more united Nigeria," the group concluded.
Former Leaders Urged to Intervene
In a related development, the National Alliance for Democracy (NAD), a civil society organisation, has called on General Yakubu Gowon and all living former presidents of Nigeria to engage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directly over proposed reforms to the NYSC. The NAD expressed alarm that reforms recently approved by the Federal Executive Council could compromise the scheme's founding mission.
NAD national convener, Dr Lucky Eremosele, said the elder statesmen carry a historic responsibility to protect the scheme's integrity. According to him, their intervention is necessary to ensure that any changes do not weaken the NYSC's role as Nigeria's primary platform for national integration.
