The Director of the Abuja School of Social Thought and Politics, Sam Amadi, has called for a comprehensive review of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), arguing that the scheme has outlived its original purpose and should be suspended in areas considered unsafe.
Amadi made the remarks during an appearance on The Morning Show on Arise Television, where he questioned the continued effectiveness of the over five-decade-old national service programme.
According to him, the objectives for which the NYSC was established have been significantly undermined by changing national realities and the growing security challenges across the country.
He argued that many influential Nigerians already manipulate the deployment process by ensuring their children are posted to preferred locations, thereby defeating the original goal of promoting national integration.
“Most elites now self-select. I can’t tell everybody who calls me from my village that my son is going for NYSC. I want him in Abuja or Lagos. Everybody self-selects, so that defeats the fundamental framework of the scheme.”
Amadi also expressed concern over the safety of corps members, stating that the ministry supervising the programme lacks adequate resources to guarantee their protection.
He noted that repeated cases of corps members losing their lives during service have weakened confidence in the scheme.
“The ministry that oversees it doesn’t have the resources to provide protocols that protect corps members. We have seen stories of young people dying, and that creates resentment because corps members themselves are not happy.”
The policy analyst maintained that the country’s present challenges extend beyond the original objective of fostering cultural understanding among Nigerians.
“I think we need to tell ourselves the truth that this scheme has failed fundamentally. It worked in the past, but Nigeria’s problems are no longer about knowing how people in Kebbi behave. We have had enough of those samplings and symbolisms.”
Amadi further argued that graduates should not be posted to states facing serious security threats, insisting that protecting lives should take precedence over maintaining the existing deployment structure.
According to him, there is no justification for deploying young graduates to unsafe environments merely to preserve the appearance of national spread.
He also proposed reducing the number of participants in the scheme, noting that the significant increase in the number of graduates from universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions has made the current structure unsustainable.
“There is nothing honourable about it in its current form. The number should be reduced. It was designed when Nigeria had a much smaller number of graduates, but today we are producing far more.”
Amadi suggested that participation in the NYSC should become more competitive and focused on strategic national development priorities rather than compulsory for every graduate.
He added that limiting participation could restore the prestige of the programme and make national service more meaningful.
His comments come days after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved far-reaching reforms of the NYSC, including the introduction of specialised career streams, a redesigned orientation programme, a new uniform and other measures aimed at modernising the scheme.
