A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately suspend the sweeping reforms to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) recently approved by the Federal Executive Council.
Agbese, representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency and Deputy Spokesman of the 10th House of Representatives, described the changes as a dangerous shift that risks undermining the scheme’s core mandate of fostering national unity.
In a private letter to the President which which was leaked to the media, Agbese expressed deep patriotic concern, arguing that the reforms—framed as innovation and modernization—threaten to transform the NYSC from a symbol of national cohesion into a stratified administrative program.
He urged the President to halt implementation and convene a multi-disciplinary committee for thorough review, warning of potential damage to national security and cross-cultural integration.
“It is with a deep sense of patriotic duty and genuine concern for the future of national cohesion that I write to your esteemed office,” Agbese stated.
“As a committed believer in the Nigerian project, I have followed with alarm the recent Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval of sweeping reforms to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
“The framing of these changes as ‘innovation’ and ‘modernization’ masks a dangerous shift that risks transforming a vital symbol of national unity into a hyper-stratified administrative exercise.
“The seven major pillars of the approved restructuring—transition to civilian operational leadership, extension of the orientation camp to six weeks, replacement of the traditional khaki uniform with Adire fabric, introduction of a structured three-phase training curriculum, pivot to skills-based deployment, automation of call-up processes, and institutionalization of formal graduation ceremonies—are fundamentally flawed,” he added.
The lawmaker highlighted the replacement of military leadership with civilian oversight as particularly alarming.
According to him, this move creates dangerous fragmentation in the command chain, especially since the scheme would still rely on military structures for security in high-risk areas.
He emphasised that a civilian Director-General might lack the tactical experience and authority needed for rapid response during threats to corps members.
Agbese further criticised the pivot toward skills-based deployment, saying it would institutionalize economic and social stratification by concentrating graduates from high-demand fields in urban centers while sending others to rural areas.
This, he argued, abandons the principle of blind geographic randomization that has promoted inter-ethnic empathy for decades.
“The most disturbing aspect is the replacement of military leadership with civilian leadership. Appointing a civilian Director-General while still relying on military structures for nationwide security creates dangerous fragmentation in the command chain,” Agbese wrote.
“A civilian bureaucrat, however competent, lacks the tactical experience, direct access to the defence hierarchy, and inherent authority required to coordinate rapid-response operations when corps members face threats in high-risk areas.
“The proposed ‘skills-based deployment’ framework is particularly troubling. By tying postings to academic disciplines and career streams instead of maintaining blind geographic randomization, the reform institutionalizes economic and social stratification,” he continued.
The replacement of the iconic khaki uniform with Adire fabric also drew sharp criticism from the deputy spokesman.
He described the traditional uniform as a powerful socio-economic equalizer that dissolves class and ethnic distinctions, and warned that the new localized fabric with variations in quality and pattern could encourage regional exceptionalism and ethnic silos.
Agbese also questioned the wisdom of extending the orientation camp from three to six weeks, citing the enormous additional costs in an era of economic hardship.
