As Nigeria grapples with rising insecurity, unemployment and the growing cost of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), legal practitioner and broadcaster, Asiwaju Kunle Kalejaye, SAN, has called for a major restructuring of the scheme, arguing that its current structure exposes young Nigerians to unnecessary risks.
Kalejaye, who made the call in a commentary on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, said the NYSC was established 53 years ago by the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon under Decree No. 24 as part of efforts to promote reconstruction, rehabilitation and national reconciliation after the Nigerian Civil War.
According to him, the scheme played a significant role in promoting national integration by deploying graduates to different parts of the country, thereby exposing young Nigerians to cultures and communities outside their immediate environments.
However, he noted that Nigeria’s security situation has changed significantly since the establishment of the scheme, with highways increasingly becoming targets for kidnappers and bandits.
He questioned whether the country should continue to expose corps members to dangerous interstate journeys in the name of national integration.
Kalejaye said the scale of the NYSC has also expanded considerably, noting that the scheme, which started with about 2,364 graduates, mobilised roughly 400,000 corps members in 2025, with the figure projected to reach about 650,000 in the 2026 service year.
He further highlighted the financial burden of maintaining the scheme, stating that the Federal Government allocated about ₦430.7 billion to NYSC in the 2025 national budget, with approximately ₦372.9 billion earmarked for allowances following the increase in the monthly corps members’ allowance to ₦77,000.
Despite the challenges, Kalejaye acknowledged the role of NYSC in promoting national unity and supporting rural communities.
He argued that corps members provide essential manpower in schools, primary healthcare centres and other institutions in underserved communities, while programmes such as the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) initiative have provided skills and support to hundreds of thousands of graduates.
However, he maintained that these benefits must be weighed against the security risks facing corps members.
According to him, parents who have made significant sacrifices to educate their children should not be placed in a position where they have to watch them travel through dangerous routes without adequate protection from the state.
Kalejaye also raised concerns over what he described as a growing backlog of more than 500,000 unmobilised graduates, saying many young Nigerians remain in professional limbo while waiting for NYSC mobilisation and discharge certificates.
He argued that the requirement for an NYSC certificate in securing formal employment should be reviewed to prevent graduates from being trapped in a lengthy mobilisation process.
While rejecting the idea of scrapping the scheme outright, Kalejaye said maintaining the status quo was no longer sustainable.
He proposed that the Federal Government restrict corps members’ deployments primarily to their home geopolitical zones in order to reduce dangerous interstate journeys.
He also called for the decoupling of NYSC participation from mandatory employment requirements, particularly for graduates affected by mobilisation backlogs.
Kalejaye ultimately proposed transforming the NYSC from a compulsory nationwide deployment programme into an optional and more localised professional development fellowship.
He warned that unless urgent reforms are introduced, the country could continue to pay an unacceptable price for a system created for a very different Nigeria.
“The scheme must evolve or die,” Kalejaye argued, stressing that the lives and safety of young Nigerians should take precedence over preserving the existing structure of the programme.
