Fawaz Adebisi
The Minister of Education, Prof. Olatunji Alausa, has proposed the extension of the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme from one year to two years, as part of wider reforms to enhance national development through education.
Prof. Alausa made the recommendation on Friday during a courtesy visit by the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed, to his office in Abuja.
According to a statement posted on the NYSC’s official Facebook page, the minister said the proposed extension would allow corps members to make deeper contributions to the country, particularly in rural communities struggling with manpower shortages.
“Let NYSC give people more opportunities to become job creators that will meet the needs of the country,” Alausa said. “The expansion of the SAED programme is key in this regard.”
The minister also pushed for a comprehensive reform of the NYSC’s Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, aiming to equip corps members with practical skills that enhance employability and encourage entrepreneurship.
Prof. Alausa further suggested the targeted deployment of graduate teachers to underserved rural areas as part of efforts to bridge educational gaps and strengthen public education at the grassroots.
He applauded the NYSC’s digitisation of its mobilisation process, especially the crackdown on certificate racketeering among foreign-trained graduates, particularly within West African institutions.
The minister also noted ongoing efforts to digitise the verification process for Nigerian graduates trained abroad and emphasized deeper collaboration between the ministry and the NYSC to drive systemic improvements in education.
In response, Brig. Gen. Ahmed expressed full support for the proposed reforms and called for the creation of a government-backed database to track Nigerian students studying overseas. He said such a move would curb the rising issue of fraudulent academic credentials.
“The NYSC is ready to comply with government directives. We are reforming the scheme to meet current national needs,” he affirmed.
Also speaking, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, pledged continued support for the NYSC in raising educational standards nationwide.
Since its inception in 1973, the NYSC has remained a compulsory one-year programme for Nigerian graduates under the age of 30. Any plan to extend the duration would require constitutional amendments and policy review by the National Assembly.
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