The proposed extension of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) service from one to two years by the Federal Government can best be considered dead on arrival, according to stakeholders.
Recall that Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, had in his remarks when the new Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja, advocated the extension of national service from one to two years, with the expansion of NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Training programme content for corps members.
Stakeholders in the education sector that included serving and ex-corps members, in separate interviews with Daily Independent warned the Federal Government against such advocacy considering the various challenges facing the scheme.
Dr. Olufemi Mosaku-Johnson, a major Corporate Governance, Entrepreneurial, Education and Innovative Business expert in Nigeria, said some young Nigerians who are mobilised for national service considered the endeavour after graduation as a waste of time.
“Even the corps members are seeing one year as a waste of time now. What goes into managing this is too huge for one year much more to say two years. It will impact the national budget,” he said.
A public commentator, Biola Popoola, urged the Federal Government to consider the economic and social implications of the proposal on the nation and the young graduates. He said the recent payment of N77,000 to serving corps members from N33,000 poses serious economic implications on the budget provisions for the scheme, saying the Federal Government may be spending close to N310 billion for mobilisation and allowances due to corps members.
According to him, the mobilisation of about 350,000 corps members annually will imply humongous financial backing for the scheme to meet its obligations to corps members and other sundry programmes organised by the NYSC.
He disclosed that allocation to the NYSC in the 2025 budget presentation by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly in December 2024 was N430.7 billion, saying that about N372.9 billion, representing 86.5 percent, of the total allocation was earmarked for the payment of corps members’ allowances.
Failure by the Federal Government to implement the new pay for corps members was attributed to the non-availability of required cash backing. “I do not see the workability of the extension from a boring one year to two.
Economically it will choke the Federal Government amid the harrowing economic situation in the country.” In another set of reactions on X (formerly Twitter), a user, Kudi, wrote, “Make I finish this one way I dey do first.”
On the contrary, another user, Pencil Talks, described the proposal as a good development provided the government can fund it adequately and recruit the right personnel to drive the skills acquisition programme during the extension.
In another reaction, an X user, Awoniyi T.T., said, “It will be a good and welcome development if the allowance can be increased to N100,000 and the money is paid throughout the period.”
In another reaction, a respondent who prefers anonymity said, “I don’t support it. Two years of national service will conflict with other plans they have for themselves.”
