A youth advocacy group, the Coalition for National Unity and Youth Development, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to suspend aspects of the proposed reforms to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), warning that altering the scheme’s traditional structure could weaken one of Nigeria’s enduring institutions for national unity, discipline and emergency response.
The appeal was contained in a statement issued on Sunday and jointly signed by the coalition’s President, Abdulrahman Sani, and Secretary, Grace Nwafor.
While acknowledging the Federal Government’s intention to modernise the scheme, the group argued that the reforms should not erode the identity of an institution that has served the country for more than five decades.
It urged the President to constitute an expanded review committee comprising former NYSC Directors-General, security experts, university administrators, employers, labour unions, youth organisations and civil society groups to comprehensively examine the reform proposals before they are transmitted to the National Assembly.
“We respectfully appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to allow a historic national institution to be fundamentally altered without exhaustive consultation. Mr President has consistently demonstrated that he listens to Nigerians, and we sincerely beg him to pause this process and allow broader stakeholder engagement before any irreversible decision is taken,” the statement said.
The coalition maintained that the NYSC was established primarily as a nation-building institution and cautioned against allowing vocational training objectives to overshadow its core mandate.
“It would be unfortunate if the NYSC gradually loses its identity and becomes known merely as another government skills acquisition programme. Skills are important, but they are not the reason the scheme was created. Its greatest achievement has been bringing young Nigerians together across ethnic, religious and regional divides at a time when our country desperately needed healing,” it said.
The group also defended the military component of the orientation camp, describing it as one of the scheme’s strongest pillars.
According to the coalition, values such as discipline, patriotism, teamwork and resilience cannot be effectively instilled through classroom learning alone.
It cited countries including Singapore, South Korea, Israel and Switzerland, where structured national or military service remains part of youth development programmes.
“National development depends not only on knowledge but also on discipline, sacrifice and civic responsibility. Nigeria should strengthen that tradition rather than weaken it,” the coalition added.
The group further highlighted the contributions of corps members during national emergencies, describing the NYSC as a strategic national asset.
It noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of corps members serving as doctors, nurses, pharmacists and laboratory scientists worked on the frontlines in isolation centres and public hospitals across the country.
It added that corps members have also played vital roles during elections, disease outbreaks and humanitarian emergencies.
The coalition dismissed claims that the proposed reforms would introduce digital innovation into the scheme, arguing that the NYSC had already automated key administrative processes, including mobilisation, deployment, documentation and records management.
“It is difficult to present digitalisation as a new reform when the NYSC has, for years, operated one of the most advanced digital administrative systems in the public service. The bigger challenge is funding. Give the scheme adequate resources, modern facilities and stronger welfare, and it will continue to deliver even greater value to Nigeria,” the statement said.
The group also expressed concern that public discourse on the proposed reforms had shifted from substantive issues to debates over uniforms, describing the development as evidence of inadequate stakeholder engagement.
“It is telling that what was introduced as a comprehensive reform quickly became a national conversation about Adire and uniforms. That should convince everyone that the proposals require deeper engagement before legislation begins,” it said.
The coalition urged the National Assembly to subject any amendment to the NYSC Act to extensive public hearings, insisting that reforms affecting generations of Nigerian youths should reflect the views of those who have built, managed and benefited from the scheme over the decades.
