The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Monday approved a comprehensive reform of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), marking the first major restructuring of the scheme since its establishment in 1973.
The reforms, approved at the FEC meeting in Abuja, are intended to reposition the NYSC as a skills-focused, youth-development institution aligned with national economic priorities. Officials said the changes aim to make the scheme more productivity-driven and better able to equip young Nigerians with marketable skills to support the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.
Central to the overhaul is a change in leadership structure: the NYSC will now be headed by a civilian, while the military will retain responsibility for providing security support for corps members nationwide.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth have been directed to amend the NYSC Act and relevant regulations to provide legal backing for the new framework.
Founded to mobilise graduates for a year of national service, the NYSC has for decades combined community development, national integration and youth service. The government said the reforms will strengthen those objectives by placing greater emphasis on skills acquisition and economic empowerment for participants.
