By Johnson Akintunde

The reality of today’s Nigeria demands that institutions created as pillars of national survival must be shielded from every form of threats. It isn’t farfetched to conclude that factors like insurgency, transactional kidnappings, separatist agitations, cyber threats, communal conflicts, environmental disasters, and humanitarian emergencies have collectively redefined the meaning of national security. It is precisely within this strategic framework that I believe the NYSC continues to occupy a unique and indispensable position that must be defended at all cost.

The proposed National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) reform that was approved by Federal Executive Council (FEC) has become the genesis of serious concerns regarding one of Nigeria’s most enduring nation-building institutions. While it is important to periodically evaluate every institution established by law in order to remain relevant to present realities, proposed reforms must never undermine the foundational ideals that have sustained national unity for over five decades.

However, as a legislator that’s privileged to serve in House of Representatives Committees on Youth Development and Defence, I have examined these proposed reforms from a unique institutional vantage point. I have viewed it through a broader prism of Nigeria’s national Defence policy, internal security architecture, emergency response, and sustaining national-legacy objectives. It is on this note that I discovered that some aspects of the proposed NYSC reforms may not fully align with the philosophy of Nigeria’s National Defence Policy. Therefore, it must be subjected to further review before any executive or legislative action is taken.

Moreover, I further discovered that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) may not have fully considered that the NYSC was never intended to merely function as an employment programme, but was deliberately created as a national reconciliation mechanism designed to support national integration, heal divisions, encourage intercultural understanding, and build discipline among graduates drawn from every corner of the federation.

Consequently, every service year brings together thousands of graduates from different ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds who would otherwise never have interacted meaningfully. They live together during orientation camps, work together in host communities, build lasting friendships, establish businesses, marry across ethnic lines, and develop a broader understanding of Nigeria’s diversity.

The centre stroke of the proposed executive policy is the fragmentation of the service year into eleven specialized career streams that ranges from the so-called “Agric Corps” to the “Tech and Digital Corps”, coupled with a heavy focus on business planning, basic accounting, and financial literacy.

Furthermore, this vocational focus creates a concern about possible redundancy. Nigeria possesses numerous agencies mandated to handle youth empowerment and vocational training. The NYSC should complement these initiatives, and not duplicate them. What it requires is strategic strengthening.

Perhaps the greatest weakness of the proposed reforms lies in questions regarding its alignment with Nigeria’s National Defence Policy.

Apparently, I have observed how enlightened democratic nations across the world recognize that national Defence extends beyond standing armed forces and military hardware. Countries such as Switzerland, Israel, Finland, and South Korea have consistently invested in different forms of national service and citizen preparedness.

Moreover, the orientation camps already expose corps members to elementary drills, discipline, teamwork, endurance, emergency response, and basic security consciousness. These experiences cultivate resilience, patriotism, respect for constituted authority, and collective responsibility.

To fully comprehend the implications of the proposed changes, it is important I remind everyone of the historical contribution of the corps during the global COVID-19 pandemic era. When the pandemic breached our borders, it was our corps members; most notably the young doctors, nurses, and pharmacists of the NYSC who stepped into the breach to support and complement the shortages of healthcare workers.

I would like us to turn our precious attention to a specific operational modification, extending the orientation camp from a 3-week to 6-week period and dividing this 6 weeks into three 2-week phases. A close observation revealed it to be potentially challenging logistically.

Another important change to look into is the replacement of the NYSC rugged khaki uniform with the cultural iconic “Adire” attire under the guise of promoting local textile manufacturing. The NYSC khaki uniform has stood for over five decades as a powerful symbol of our unity. This proposal has raised concerns about possible ethnic sensitivities.

This is an urgent appeal to the president and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to immediately stop the execution of these reforms and set up an expanded stakeholder review committee that will thoroughly evaluate the future of the NYSC. This committee must include a broad coalition of national security experts, seasoned legislators, and community leaders.

I strongly believe that there are better ways to integrate modern digital skills and agricultural trainings without compromising the core objectives of the NYSC.

As a representative of the people and guardian of our national security, I will continue to advocate that this vital institution continues to serve as a strategic instrument of national unity, emergency preparedness, civic responsibility, and national defence for generations yet unborn.

Akintunde ex-corp member wrote this piece from Badagry.