By Oluwakemi Kindness
Civil society organisations and youth groups have called for broad stakeholder participation in the ongoing review of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), insisting that any reform of the scheme must reflect the views of those directly impacted.
The groups, under the aegis of the Centre for Equity, Justice and Transparency in collaboration with the Save Nigeria Movement, announced plans for a one-day national dialogue to examine proposed amendments to the NYSC Act.
Convened by legal practitioners Sorkaa Tsembelee and Patrick Agbese, the forum will bring together senior academics, former corps members, youth organisations, security agencies, including the Chief of Defence Staff, and other key stakeholders.
According to the organisers, the dialogue is designed to ensure meaningful contributions to the reform process before the Federal Government concludes its review of the scheme.
The recommendations from the meeting will be compiled into a working document for submission to the Federal Government and the National Assembly.
They said discussions would focus on critical issues such as corps members’ welfare, orientation camp facilities, deployment procedures, funding, the effectiveness of the Community Development Service (CDS), security in volatile areas, as well as skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and youth empowerment.
The organisers stressed that security agencies would provide institutional perspectives on improving the safety of corps members, while academics would examine national service models from other countries to identify lessons that could strengthen Nigeria’s programme.
They maintained that the proposed reforms should preserve the NYSC’s core mandate of promoting national unity while making the scheme more responsive to present-day realities.
The groups also argued that former corps members, civil society organisations and youth groups must play a central role in shaping the future of the programme, noting that their practical experience and grassroots perspectives are essential for meaningful reform.
Established in 1973 after the Nigerian Civil War, the NYSC was created to foster national integration and nation-building through compulsory one-year service.
While the scheme has contributed significantly to education, healthcare and community development, growing concerns over welfare, security, funding and deployment policies have intensified calls for comprehensive reforms.
The organisers said the planned national dialogue would provide an inclusive platform to develop practical recommendations capable of guiding legislative and executive action, while ensuring the NYSC remains relevant to Nigeria’s evolving needs.
