President Bola Tinubu has defended his administration’s sweeping reforms of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), describing the sweeping changes as part of his campaign promise to create meaningful opportunities for young people.
In a post on his official X account on Wednesday, the president explained that the changes are designed to equip young Nigerians with practical skills, improve employability and position them as drivers of national development.
He pointed out that the reforms approved by the Federal Executive Council on Monday is the most significant since the NYSC was established in 1973,
According to him, although the NYSC had served the cause of national unity for more than five decades, the country’s changing realities required a new approach.
“Our young people are nearly 70 per cent of our population. They are not a burden to be managed… They are the engine of the one-trillion-dollar economy we are building and the hope of this nation.
“We are repositioning the NYSC from a mobilisation scheme into a national development platform for skills, employability, productivity and enterprise,” Tinubu said.
Under the reforms, the NYSC orientation programme will run for six weeks, beginning with civic responsibility, leadership, values and personal development before progressing to career readiness, entrepreneurship, digital and financial literacy, and specialised training tailored to corps members’ academic backgrounds and career paths.
