It also restructured the one-year scheme into 11 specialised skills-based streams, redesigned the orientation camp programme and uniform, and directed the amendment of the NYSC Act to give immediate legal effect to the changes.

This followed Monday’s Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja.

It is the first in three months since March 4, 2026, when the President swore in Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu.

Also on Monday, the Federal Government approved the establishment of a National Snakebite Research and Medical Centre in Kaltungo, Gombe State.

It also approved N128.29bn across five health and aviation projects, including the procurement of tuberculosis commodities worth N62bn, reproductive health drugs worth N25bn, 10 blood donation vans worth N6.9bn, and the construction of the Gboko airstrip in Benue State at N34.39bn.

Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Wisdom, said the reform process for the NYSC began in 2025 when a committee was constituted to carry out a full review of the scheme, adding that the outcome represented a fundamental repositioning of the NYSC from a mobilisation exercise into a platform for skills development, job creation, productivity and national growth.

He explained, “The NYSC was created in 1973 to promote national unity after the civil war. For 53 years, it has helped bring together Nigerian graduates and strengthen national unity. But today, our needs as a country have changed, and many expect the objectives of NYSC to also change.

“Our review found a number of challenges with NYSC, outdated laws, weak links between education and jobs, and concerns about the safety and welfare of corps members, among others.”

The minister noted that the Ministries of Youth Development and Education and the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination worked together to develop the reform framework, adding that the council was invited to ratify the framework, the new organisational structure, and the directive to begin amending the NYSC Act and related regulations.

The Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman, who has oversight of the reform implementation, described the move as the first holistic reform of the scheme in its 53-year history and linked the overhaul to the administration’s ambition of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

She said, “One of the important things on the basis of which we decided to embark on this reform process is that there is a need for us to intervene to build the present ambition of a $1tn economy by repositioning NYSC as a civilian-led, skill-oriented, productivity-driven and youth-empowering national institution.

“Indeed, as mentioned, the NYSC has been in existence for 53 years, and this is the first time there has been a holistic reform.

“The reform areas speak to all the strategic aspects of NYSC, starting from the area of the main area of deployment, how you are registering, what modality is being used to post you to several states, how we are recognising the areas where we have security challenges.”

She said the reform now segments the NYSC into 11 distinct core streams, which every corps member will be required to select upon registration based on academic background and personal skills profile.

The streams are the Agriculture Core, the Medical Core, the Education Core, the Technology and Digital Core, the Legal Core, the Public Service Core, the Infrastructure Core, the Green Core, the Enterprise Core, the Creative Economy Core, and the Paramilitary and Security Core.

“When you come in as a youth corps member, you will now pick which stream you want to participate in. Once you have uploaded and been recognised and accepted as a corps member, you are required to pick one of those cores, and once you register in that, certain trainings will be given for each of those cores within the two weeks,” Usman explained.

The orientation camp programme, she revealed further, will be redesigned from its current format into a structured six-week curriculum divided into three distinct two-week phases.

“The first two weeks speak to laying a foundation on civic responsibility, you will be made aware of what civic duties mean, our national values and leadership development,

“The next two weeks will look at career mapping, basic accounting literacy skills, business planning and access to finance, how do we access finance and then we intend to introduce a structured career day programme to enable corps members to engage directly with the public.

“The final two weeks, we intend to have focused corps-stream-specific training aligned with the corps member’s designated stream based on his choice, his academic background and skills profile,” Usman said.

She noted that for streams requiring longer certification periods, such as the Digital Core, where relevant certifications may span three to six months, corps members would remain in structured training rather than being posted to primary assignment locations.

“We want them to have skills that will enable them to be self-employed,” she said.

The new management structure will be headed by a civilian Director-General, supported by three Executive Directors and a security directorate to be led by a military or paramilitary officer, she revealed.

Responding to questions on the security implications of removing military operational leadership, Usman argued that the arrangement will preserve the military’s core protective function while transferring administrative authority to civilian professionals.

She noted, “We recognise that NYSC is spread across the whole country, and security is a core aspect of ensuring the safety of our corps members.

“The safety aspect still remains with the military, but the operational leadership of NYSC will be civilian-led, while security will continue to be anchored and implemented by the Nigerian military.”

She also noted that the Passing-Out Parade will be redesigned and renamed as a graduation ceremony.

The NYSC uniform, she added, would also be overhauled to reflect a more professional identity while preserving its distinctive character.

Usman confirmed that the Attorney-General of the Federation, working with the Ministry of Youth Development, has been directed to amend the NYSC Act and related regulations to give immediate legal backing to the approved changes.

On brain drain, the Japa wave driving thousands of NYSC-age graduates abroad each year, she said the reform was designed to turn the challenge into an asset rather than simply try to stem the outflow.

According to her, “Brain drain is something that we cannot stop as a country. We’re looking to see how we can produce more graduates that will enable us to have more, and actually export and earn foreign exchange from the brain drain.

“What happened in India: they left, and now they are back to promote and support various areas within the tech industry; this is the model. The more we produce, the more we are able to retain and channel brain drain back into Nigeria’s development.”

The Punch Credited

The post JUST IN: FG Cancels NYSC Passing-out Parade, Extends Orientation to Six Weeks appeared first on ESUT Monitor.

The Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) has dismissed a staffer, Garba Ahmed, after it found he engaged in illegal upload of unqualified students for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

In a statement by its spokesperson, Ismaila Yauri, the university said the decision was ratified on Wednesday during the university governing council’s 176th meeting.

The statement said his dismissal takes effect from 1 April, the date of the council meeting.

“Malam Garba was found guilty of illegally uploading unqualified students for NYSC mobilisation,” the statement said.

“The University Governing Council maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward acts of serious or gross misconduct.”

Mr Ahmed had worked in the university’s registry department, where he had access to the list of graduates being mobilised for the NYSC.

Universities mobilised graduates who have met all requirements, including clearing their results and paying all fees. The results are validated by the university senate before onward transfer of the list to the registry, where Mr Ahmed worked.

NYSC withdrew illegally mobilised graduates

Two years ago, the management of the NYSC withdrew over 100 NYSC certificates after it found they had been fraudulently mobilised by the University of Calabar, Cross River State.

The university later told PREMIUM TIMES that it uncovered the fraud and notified the management of the NYSC, which withdrew the certificates.

According to the NYSC, 99 of them were illegally mobilised for the national service between 2021 and 2023, while the remaining two received exemption certificates.

The one-year national service is compulsory for Nigerian graduates who are 30 years old or below when completing their academic programmes. Those over 30 are issued exemption certificates.

NERD to the rescue

However, the Nigerian government has introduced the National Credential Verification Service (NCVS) to verify and authenticate academic certificates for Nigerian graduates.

The NCVS issued by the Nigerian Education Repository and Databank (NERD) is now a compulsory certificate before anyone can be mobilised for the NYSC.

The post Varsity Staff Sacked over illegal NYSC Mobilisation appeared first on ESUT Monitor.

Ahead of the 20th Convocation Ceremony of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, scheduled to hold on Saturday, November 23, 2024, ESUT Monitor Newspaper begins daily publication of the Best Graduating Student of each Department and Faculty

The aim of this series is to Promote ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE and celebrate the students who distinguished themselves.

Today we take-off from Mass Communication because charity they say, begins at home.

Born over two decades ago, Miss Eze Ginikachukwu Vivian hails from Nkanụ West Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Inspiring to become a media guru and a global communicator, Miss Eze’s aspiration to study Mass Communication was manifested after she gained admission into ESUT in 2019/2020 Academic Session.

Primed to achieve excellence, she went about her academic with keen interest and limited distractions. Although she.combined her social life and academic schedule effectively, he religious propensity was also high.

Her hardwork paid off ahead of her graduation as she was employed as a presenter with Energy FM, Enugu a position she discharged creditably.

Among over a hundred students of her set, Eze Ginikachukwu Vivian came out first with a CGPA of 4.07. A feat for her and a standard for her classmates.

Currently undergoing her mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Abuja, Miss Ézè explained to us what the achievement meant for her

“From Childhood, I have always desired to study Mass Communication and doing that in ESUT was a privilege. I worked hard each day and I am grateful to my parents and lecturers for their support. Of course, it was a tedious journey but I perseved.

“I have a passion for reading books, watching movies, and exploring new topics, as I believe in constantly enriching my understanding and broadening my horizons,” she said.

Decent, humble and dedicated, Miss Eze has serious aversion “to actions that compromise integrity or disregard the well-being of others. Respect, fairness, and honesty are values I hold in high regard. I believe that doing the right thing should always come first, no matter the circumstances.”

The post UNVEILING 2022/2023 Department of Mass Communication Best Graduating Student, Eze Ginika Vivian appeared first on ESUT Monitor.