Corps Members May Serve for 2 Years as FG Plans NYSC Redesign

The Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, has called for a two-year extension of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme and a revamp of its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) initiative to better equip corps members for the labour market.

Alausa made the proposal on Friday in Abuja during a courtesy visit by the Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, according to a statement published on NYSC’s official Facebook page.

“The Minister also advocated for the deployment of more graduate teachers to rural areas to bridge the manpower gap in underserved schools,” the statement added.

He praised the NYSC for its digital transformation efforts, especially in curbing certificate fraud among foreign-trained graduates within West Africa. He also noted that the Ministry is working to digitise the verification process for such graduates of Nigerian origin.

Alausa stressed the importance of empowering young Nigerians through the NYSC scheme. “Let NYSC give people more opportunities to become job creators that will meet the needs of the country,” he said.

In response, Brig-Gen. Nafiu lauded the Ministry’s reforms and called for the creation of a central database for Nigerian students studying abroad, to help weed out fake graduates and streamline verification processes.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to deeper collaboration with the NYSC to enhance education quality nationwide.