53 years After, NYSC Continues to Bridge Economic and Socio-Cultural Gaps in Nigeria

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), will be 53 years on 22 May 2026, having been established by Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd) on May 22 1972.

The national youth service scheme was at that time solely established to promote unity amongst the people after the Nigerian civil war that ended in 1970.

Fifty-three years down the line the scheme has not only promoted unity, it has also promoted inter marriages and currently contributes to Nigeria’s economy in diverse areas.

The NYSC through corps members have contributed immensely to the educational section in the country. Most schools rely on serving corps members to run their schools.

In the area of healthcare, it will be an understatement to say any state of the federation can cope with healthcare delivery without the help of serving corps members.

The Director General of the NYSC, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, on his visit to the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwolu, stated that “services provided by the NYSC for the government and people of Lagos State worth over 14 billion naira annually.

“Gen. Nafiu was quantifying, in minimum monetary value, the contributions of the over 44,000 Corps members deployed to the length and breadth of the state in various capacities, including the 333 medical doctors, 306 pharmacists, 274 nurses, and 7188 teachers.”

According to Nafiu, “Lagos was the number one destination for Corps members, noting their parents were also comfortable with it, citing the relative security of the state.

“No state can survive today without NYSC. We saved some states up to the tune of N30-40 billion annually gets about 400 doctors from NYSC annually,” he added

In the area of elections, the scheme has equally given the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) a lot of face lift and credibility when it concerns the use of serving corps members as voters registration agents and as election officials during general elections.

Former Head of state and founder of the NYSC, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), noted that no government institution has contributed to national development more than the NYSC has done.

“The NYSC has contributed to national development more than any other organisation in the country. The authorities should consider setting up a trust fund for the scheme.”

In the area of revenue generation, the scheme has not done badly at all.

Though it was not established for revenue generation purpose, yet the scheme has seen the need to generate revenue through ventures like garment factory, bakery, bottles water shoe making and others so that when the corps members are leaving, they will leave with both technical and entrepreneurial skills.  

The scheme also has its own health programme, “Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD).” Through this Initiative, the scheme is bridging the health care gap between the urban and rural areas with over two million beneficiaries.

The Assistant Secretary General for Youth Affairs, and Head of the United Nations Youth Office, Felipe Paullier, applauded the NYSC at the flag-off of the NYSC Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD) held at Kabusa community, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Paullier said his visit to Nigeria centred on meaningful discussions with critical youth organisations and youth representatives, particularly the NYSC, as well as key stakeholders to advance the youth agenda in the country.

He stated this is by strengthening the role of young people as partners in development, peace, and human rights.

“I have interacted with many young and old Nigerians who are proud of their NYSC experiences,” he said.

Commending NYSC’s consistent free medical interventions to rural dwellers in the country, Paullier said the free medicare was contributing to building a better world.

The Director General, NYSC, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, said, since the inception of the NYSC HIRD in 2014, over five million Nigerians have so far benefited from the free medical outreach, adding that this year, the scheme projects to benefit about 45,000 people across Nigeria’s rural communities.   

The traditional leader and Dakachi of Kabusa village, Chief Samuel Kpowu, thanked the NYSC for bringing the free medicare to their doorsteps, noting that it is the first of its kind.

On calls to make the NYSC an economic driving force for national development, the federal government is in the process of achieving that with the presidential committee of the reform of the scheme, though earlier the then Director General of the NYSC, Ibrahim Shuiabu, had proposed the NYSC Trust Fund which went to the national assembly and all the stages but it wasn’t assented to by late President Mohammadu Buhairi.

But this present government wants to amend the NYSC Act so that it will digitalise the scheme with N2 billion and make it more economically viable.

Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU), Hadiza Bala Usman, at the NYSC Reform Stakeholders’ Consultative Engagement Forum, organised by the review committee in Abuja said the NYSC was obsolete and in need of a review that will meet the digital challenges.

“The NYSC Act is obsolete and inadequate for digital-enabled administration, gender inclusion safeguards, cybersecurity or remote service options.

The NYSC Act was last substantively reviewed in 1993, long before the digital age, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the new demands of our economy.

“In response, the reform committee has proposed far-reaching, transformative recommendations, including:

A comprehensive amendment of the NYSC Act to provide for digital service, co-funding by states and local governments, gender and security-responsive deployment, and explicit employer obligations.

“Creation of a ₦2 billion NYSC Innovation Fund to support digital systems, entrepreneurial development, and innovation partnerships.

“Deployment of a Unified Digital Command and Service Platform to integrate mobilisation, posting, payments, monitoring, and feedback.

“A redesigned Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development model built around zonal innovation hubs to improve labour-market readiness.”

“The reform proposal envisions a phased implementation between 2026 and 2028, beginning with legislative amendments and digital pilots in 2026, and culminating in a nationwide, sector-aligned deployment model and a strengthened post-service ecosystem by 2028,”

The Minister of Youth Ayodele Olawande emphasised that as the nation progresses, there must be an improved NYSC scheme to produce youth who can cope with current challenges facing the society.

“Reforming the core mobilisation is not a responsibility of a government alone. We call on all stakeholders jointly to contribute ideas different from what you’ve been contributing.

“As Nigeria progresses, we must continue to improve the scheme to meet the new demand. We must address the gap in developing the welfare and how the scheme can contribute to prepare our graduates for today’s job market not only to serve our father’s land anymore it is time we rethink, and strategise,” he said.

An improved NYSC is an improved Nigeria because if the NYSC is doing so much with the Act establishing it by contributing so much to the Nigerian economy when the Act is amended for its improvement; it will become the driver of the nation’s economy and national development.