The federal government has outlined a sweeping reform agenda aimed at transforming the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) into a modern, digitally powered and financially resilient institution aligned with Nigeria’s evolving manpower needs.

At a stakeholders’ consultative forum held in Abuja on Monday, Hadiza Bala-Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, declared that the NYSC can no longer operate under a framework conceived more than 50 years ago.

Bala-Usman, who also heads the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, said diagnostic assessments revealed deep-seated legal, fiscal and operational gaps hampering the scheme’s effectiveness.

“For over five decades, the NYSC has symbolised unity, civic responsibility and national integration. Yet, as with all institutions, survival requires reinvention,” she said.

According to her, the current structure—centralised, analogue in operation, financially overstretched and poorly aligned with workforce realities—cannot sustain the scheme in the years ahead.

Governance Overhaul, Digital Shift, Co-Funding Model

She announced that the reform committee has proposed key legislative amendments that will empower NYSC to adopt digital service processes, gender-responsive deployment and a co-funding model involving states and local governments.

Other key recommendations include:

A unified digital operations platform

A strengthened employer-obligation framework

A three-tier governance system

A redesigned skills development model anchored on zonal innovation hubs

A proposed N2 billion NYSC Innovation Fund

She explained that the reforms would be implemented in phases from 2026 to 2028, starting with legislative restructuring and digital pilot projects next year and culminating in a nationwide sector-aligned deployment system by 2028.

Corps Members Must Become Job Creators — Minister

Ayodele Olawande, Minister of Youth Development, said the reform was necessary to ensure corps members are empowered for the job market and gain the capacity to build businesses, rather than rely on government employment.

“The number of corps members is rising and must be matched with productive engagement,” he said. “After one year of service, young people should leave the scheme ready to become employers of labour.”

NYSC DG, NITDA Back Reforms

NYSC Director-General, Olakunle Nafiu, noted that the scheme had grown from a little over 2,000 corps members in 1973 to nearly 400,000 annually, making reform an unavoidable necessity.

Also speaking, NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, said the reforms must position Nigerian youths for global competitiveness.

With adequate digital training, he projected that millions of Nigerians could secure remote work opportunities, earning the country billions of dollars annually.

“If two million Nigerians work remotely, we could generate no less than 100 billion dollars yearly. Nigeria can achieve a one-trillion-dollar economy if we harness our human capital,” he said.