Dr. Joe Abah, member National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Reform Committee has explained why the panel rejected proposals that sought to make national service optional and introduce mandatory full military training for all corps members.
Abah’s clarification came after a critic, Muyiwa Saka, accused the committee of rejecting the idea of an optional scheme.
Saka posted on X: “My main clue that Dr Joe got that reform madly wrong was that retort about zero possibility of national service being optional… The refusal to pursue that option only made it seem an academic exercise that satisfied everyone except the corpers concerned.
The committee did look at that option, Abah responded, but turned it down on principle.
“The committee actually looked at that option and rejected it on the grounds that it shouldn’t be optional whether or not you serve your country,” he said.
We also considered compulsory full military service, and asked ourselves if we wanted 500,000 people trained in the handling of weapons every year, which the military cannot absorb. “We also rejected that option, so we don’t end up having NYSC-military-trained non-state actors on top of all the armed non-state actors we have now.”
Of course, you can have a contrary view,” he added. It doesn’t mean that those who don’t share your view are ‘madly wrong’.”
In 2025, the Federal Government established the NYSC Reform Committee to review the 53-year-old scheme and bring it in line with the present needs of youth and national development.
The committee’s mandate involved a review of policy and legal frameworks, stakeholder consultations and making recommendations for amendments to the NYSC Act.
The Federal Executive Council has approved a major revamp of the scheme, including a six-week orientation curriculum, 11 specialised career streams and a move to civilian leadership.
The reforms would make the NYSC “safer” through risk-based deployment and ensure “every corps member must leave NYSC better prepared for work, enterprise and national service”, said President Bola Tinubu.
