A youth advocacy group, the Coalition for National Unity and Youth Development, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to suspend aspects of the proposed reforms to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), warning that altering the scheme’s traditional structure could undermine its role in promoting national unity, discipline and emergency service.

The appeal was contained in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by the coalition’s President, Abdulrahman Sani, and Secretary, Grace Nwafor.

While acknowledging the Federal Government’s efforts to modernise the NYSC, the group argued that the reforms should not erode the identity of an institution that has served as a nation-building platform for more than five decades.

It urged the President to establish an expanded review committee comprising former NYSC directors-general, security experts, university administrators, employers, labour unions, youth organisations and civil society groups before any proposals are forwarded to the National Assembly.

“We respectfully appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to allow a historic national institution to be fundamentally altered without exhaustive consultation,” the statement said.

“Mr President has consistently demonstrated that he listens to Nigerians, and we sincerely beg him to pause this process and allow broader stakeholder engagement before any irreversible decision is taken.”

The coalition maintained that the NYSC’s primary mandate is national integration rather than vocational training.

“It would be unfortunate if the NYSC gradually loses its identity and becomes known merely as another government skills acquisition programme. Skills are important, but they are not the reason the scheme was created,” it said.

The group also defended the military component of the orientation camp, describing it as essential for instilling discipline, patriotism and resilience among young Nigerians.

“Countries such as Singapore, South Korea, Israel and Switzerland continue to expose their young citizens to structured national or military service… Nigeria should strengthen that tradition rather than weaken it,” the statement added.

The coalition further highlighted the contributions of corps members during national emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, elections and disease outbreaks, describing the NYSC as “a national emergency asset, not just a youth programme.”

It argued that digitalisation should not be presented as a major reform since many of the scheme’s operations are already automated, insisting that inadequate funding remains its biggest challenge.

“Give the scheme adequate resources, modern facilities and stronger welfare, and it will continue to deliver even greater value to Nigeria,” it said.

The group also urged the National Assembly to conduct extensive public hearings on any proposed amendment to the NYSC Act to ensure the reforms reflect broad stakeholder input.