Time to save NYSC scheme: Make orientation and service geopolitical-based

Time to save NYSC scheme: Make orientation and service geopolitical-based

Jide AKINTOLA

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The fundamental objective of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), established over five decades ago, was to foster national integration, bridge cultural divides, and build a cohesive nation. However, recent heart-wrenching events have turned this noble vision into a nightmare of grief, fear, and uncertainty.

The recent, highly-publicized abduction of prospective corps members travelling all the way from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their orientation camp in Abia State—in which innocent young graduates were ambushed and subjected to exorbitant ransom demands—is a national embarrassment and a tragic wake-up call. This is not an isolated incident; it is part of a recurring pattern of highway abductions that continues to expose defenseless youths to grave dangers across volatile interstate corridors.

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When parents send their children forth to answer the clarion call of national service, they should not do so with a lump in their throats, bracing for the worst. With pervasive highway banditry, localized hostilities, and general insecurity plaguing our transit routes, the current cross-country deployment model has clearly outlived its purpose and now defeats the very essence of the program.

An urgent appeal to the federal government and the NYSC directorate

We cannot continue to sacrifice the lives of our brightest minds on the altar of a rigid tradition. The federal government, the National Assembly, and the management of the NYSC must swallow their pride, look at the stark realities of our national security architecture, and urgently restructure the mobilization process. The program must be made geopolitical-based.

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How a geopolitical-based NYSC model will work

Local and zonal deployment: Prospective corps members should be allowed to serve within their home terrains or within their immediate geopolitical zones.
Drastic reduction of transit risks: By eliminating hundreds of miles of perilous cross-country road travels through known security flashpoints, we immediately shield young graduates from the hazards of Nigerian highways.
Cost efficiency for struggling families: In the face of biting economic hardships, compelling parents to fund long-distance travels—only for their wards to become targets for kidnappers—is double jeopardy, as localized service eases financial pressures.
Target community development: Corps members deployed within their geopolitical zones or familiar terrain can still offer impactful service, driving localized community development without being total strangers exposed to extreme host-community hostilities.

National unity cannot be achieved by putting the lives of youth corp members in perpetual jeopardy. Preserving the lives of our graduates must take absolute precedence over administrative rigidity.

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We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Youth, and the leadership of the National Assembly to act swiftly. Reform the NYSC deployment framework now before more innocent blood is shed on our highways.

Dr. Akintola, a tertiary institution lecturer sends this piece via akinjide17@gmail.com
08033669857

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