By Mercy Aikoye
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, has urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend the implementation of the Federal Government’s proposed reforms to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), warning that aspects of the restructuring could undermine the scheme’s core mandate of national unity and national security.
Agbese, who represents Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State and serves on the House Committees on Youth and Defence, made the appeal in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
He called for the constitution of a broader committee comprising security experts, lawmakers, former NYSC officials, youth organisations and other critical stakeholders to undertake a comprehensive review of the proposals before they are implemented.
The lawmaker expressed concern that some of the planned reforms could gradually shift the NYSC away from the objectives for which it was established in 1973 as part of Nigeria’s post-Civil War reconciliation efforts.
“Reducing the NYSC to a skill acquisition training centre is not healthy for our national life,” Agbese said, stressing that the scheme remains a strategic national institution that has contributed significantly to national integration, discipline and emergency response.
He noted that beyond youth development, the NYSC has consistently supported critical sectors, including education, healthcare, elections and humanitarian interventions through the nationwide deployment of corps members.
Agbese also faulted the proposal to appoint a civilian as Director-General of the scheme, arguing that the military tradition embedded in the orientation programme has helped instil discipline, patriotism and national consciousness among participants.
“Instilling military training in citizens is an international practice that must be sustained,” he said.
His comments followed the Federal Government’s unveiling of what the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, described as the first comprehensive review of the NYSC since its establishment more than five decades ago.
Among the proposed changes are the restructuring of the orientation camp into three phases, the introduction of 11 specialised career streams from which prospective corps members will make their choice during registration, the expansion of skills acquisition programmes, the replacement of the traditional khaki uniform with locally made attire and the appointment of a civilian to head the scheme.
The proposals have continued to generate mixed reactions, with supporters describing them as necessary modernisation measures, while critics argue that some of the reforms could dilute the scheme’s original mandate of fostering national unity and preparing young Nigerians for national service.
Established on May 22, 1973, by the administration of General Yakubu Gowon, the NYSC was created to promote reconciliation and national integration after the Nigerian Civil War by deploying graduates to states other than their own for one year of national service.
