Stephanie Peter, Uyo

President Bola Tinubu has approved major reforms to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, announcing that corps members will now be posted to states based on security risk assessments rather than the existing nationwide deployment system.

The reform is a response to the country’s current security challenges and is aimed at reducing the risks associated with posting corps members to unfamiliar areas with heightened security concerns.

Under the new policy, corps members will no longer be posted indiscriminately to states facing serious security threats. Instead, postings will prioritise indigenes, residents, graduates of institutions within a state, and those from neighbouring states within the same geopolitical zone.

President Tinubu said the decision is intended to protect corps members while preserving the NYSC’s core objective of promoting national unity. According to him, the prevailing security situation in the country requires a more flexible and pragmatic deployment system.

Other proposed reforms include extending the NYSC orientation course from three weeks to six weeks, replacing the military Director-General with a civilian appointee, and expanding training in entrepreneurship, leadership, civic responsibility, and job creation.

The President said the reforms are designed to modernise the scheme, enhance the safety of corps members, and better prepare young graduates for life after national service.

He has directed the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and the Federal Ministry of Justice to begin the process of amending the NYSC Act to provide the necessary legal backing for the implementation of the reforms.