Opinion
Time To Scrap NYSC: The Federal Government Must Stop Wasting Resources And Embracing Bad Advice
-By Zik Gbemre
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has outlived its purpose. No matter how the Federal Government tries to paint it, the entire scheme is no longer relevant to modern Nigeria. In fact, keeping it alive does little more than endanger the lives of young Nigerians while draining public funds.
Even minor changes, like updating the uniforms, seem designed only to enrich government contractors rather than add any real value to the lives of our young graduates.
Holding young people back for an additional year in the name of national service just to release them into an already saturated labor market is not what Nigerians need.
It is no surprise that after completing the scheme, a vast number of these youths still end up relocating to Europe and North America in search of better opportunities.
Skilling Without Opportunities is Useless
There is a popular narrative from the government that we just need to train young people in digital skills and other professions. While skills are important, training becomes largely useless if there are no relevant jobs waiting for these youths. You cannot build a modern economy on wishful thinking.
Instead of maintaining a bloated, outdated youth service scheme, the Federal Government should focus entirely on creating an enabling environment for businesses and the youth to thrive.
Privatize Government Monopolies to Create Real Jobs
If the government is serious about creating wealth and employment, it must liberalize the private sector and completely hand over the running of state-owned enterprises.
Monopolies like the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the national airline, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and others should be acquired and managed by competent private companies.
When the private sector takes over, true efficiency follows, investments pour in, and sustainable jobs are naturally created. NYSC is simply not a priority project; it is a massive drain on our national budget that primarily benefits the officials running the system.
The Civilian DG Bureaucracy: More Jobs for Cronies?
The Federal Government’s latest response to these issues is a proposal to overhaul the scheme, including a plan to appoint a civilian Director General to lead the NYSC instead of a military officer.
But we must ask ourselves the hard question: Will changing the leadership to a civilian create real wealth for the country, or will it just create a new avenue to reward political cronies with juicy positions?
Altering the administrative structure does absolutely nothing to solve the core problem of a broken economy. The sudden, intense emphasis on modifying and desperate saving of the NYSC by the current administration is completely baseless.
You cannot fix a structural economic crisis by simply shifting bureaucratic chairs and creating new political appointments.
A Leadership Misled by Bad Advice
Unfortunately, President Bola Tinubu appears to take only bad advice. This is why many of the administration’s policies and responses seem to reflect the poor counsel he receives from some of his ministers and personal aides who are disconnected from reality.
Instead of listening to those who want to sustain expensive, outdated programs for personal gain, the President needs to look at the realities on the ground.
Nigeria does not need an overhauled NYSC to foster unity or growth; it needs a free, vibrant economy that gives young graduates a reason to stay and build their futures at home. It is time to scrap the NYSC and let the private sector drive the nation forward.
Zik Gbemre
July 23,2026
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