Philip Agbese Kicks Against NYSC Reform Plan, Calls for Review 

A member of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend the implementation of the newly approved reforms for the National Youth Service Corps, saying some parts of the proposal may weaken the scheme’s original purpose.

Agbese, who represents Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, appealed in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.

The lawmaker, who also serves on the House Committees on Youth and Defence, said the Federal Government should take a wider look at the reforms before putting them into effect. He urged the president to set up a broader review committee made up of security experts, lawmakers, former NYSC officials, youth organisations and other key stakeholders.

According to him, while efforts to modernise the NYSC are welcome, the government must ensure that the reforms do not weaken the values on which the scheme was founded.

The NYSC was created in 1973 after the Nigerian Civil War to promote national unity, cultural understanding and integration among young Nigerians. Through the programme, graduates are posted to states outside their places of origin to serve the country and build stronger national ties.

Agbese warned that any reform that reduces the scheme mainly to skills training could affect its wider role in national development.

He said the NYSC has, over the years, gone beyond youth development to become an important national institution. Corps members have supported education, healthcare, elections, emergency response, community projects and other government programmes across the country.

“The NYSC is a national institution that has played a critical role in fostering national unity and should not be restructured in a manner that compromises its founding ideals,” he said.

His comments come after the Federal Government announced what the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, described as the first major review of the scheme since it was established more than five decades ago.

The proposed reforms include dividing the orientation exercise into three phases, introducing 11 specialised career streams for prospective corps members, expanding skills acquisition programmes, replacing the traditional khaki uniform with locally made attire, and appointing a civilian Director-General instead of continuing with the current military leadership structure.

The proposals have drawn mixed reactions from Nigerians and stakeholders. Some believe the reforms are needed to make the scheme more useful for today’s labour market, while others fear they could take the NYSC away from its original mission.

Agbese particularly rejected the idea of reducing the programme to a skills acquisition model, saying such a move would not serve the country’s long-term interest.

“Reducing NYSC to a skill acquisition training centre is not healthy for our national life,” he said.

The lawmaker also opposed the proposal to place the scheme under civilian leadership. He argued that the military structure of the NYSC has helped build discipline, patriotism and national readiness among corps members.

He said military-style training for young citizens is practised in many countries and should not be removed from the Nigerian model.

The NYSC was established on May 22, 1973, by the administration of General Yakubu Gowon as part of efforts to rebuild trust and unity after the civil war. Since then, it has remained one of Nigeria’s most recognised national institutions.

For decades, corps members have been deployed to schools, hospitals, rural communities, election duties and other national assignments, especially in areas where manpower is limited.

Agbese said this history should be protected as the government considers changes to the scheme.

The current reform proposal is seen as one of the most far-reaching attempts to reshape the NYSC since its creation in 1973.