They passed their exams, paid their dues and waited for the NYSC call-up that never came. Across Nigeria, thousands of full-time HND graduates with part-time ND backgrounds are watching juniors wear khaki while they remain excluded, unemployed and unheard, writes WALE AKINSELURE

Kausarat Abidemi had already envisaged herself in the National Youth Service Corps khaki. Moments after writing her final Higher National Diploma examination in Microbiology at the Yaba College of Technology two years ago, her mind drifted not to celebration, but to service. She imagined the familiar ritual every Nigerian graduate dreamt of: the National Youth Service Corps white vest clinging to her chest, lemon khaki trousers neatly pressed, crested cap tilted just right, jacket slung over her arm, and the orange-and-black jackboots that announced, without words, a citizen ready to serve.

Each day after her last paper, Kausarat listened closely for news from her school. Like thousands of graduates before her, she waited for that signal: “Check the portal.”

The countdown had began. When word filtered in that the NYSC had commenced mobilisation for her set, her excitement peaked. This was it. She logged on. She entered her details. She waited. What stared back at her was not a call-up letter, a posting to an unfamiliar state or the beginning of a year of national service. It was a document titled “Letter of Exclusion from National Service.”

The letter read, “The above-named person graduated from Yaba College of Technology with an HND in Microbiology in the year 2023. However, these categories of graduate, part-time, have been excluded from participating in the National Youth Service Corps by the Federal Government. In view of the above, she is hereby issued this letter of exclusion.”

In that moment, a long-held dream collapsed.

Kausarat’s offence, she would later learn, lay not in her Higher National Diploma, which she completed on a full-time basis, but in her academic past.

She had obtained her Ordinary National Diploma through the part-time mode.

“From 2023 till now, we have not been mobilised,” Kausarat said. “NYSC keeps tagging us as part-time, even though we are full-time HND graduates. At one point, we were asked to register after assurances, money was collected, but we were eventually issued exclusion letters.

“We were then told to print out the exclusion letter and give it to them, and that the names would be uploaded. We returned to their portal, but the issue persisted. Now the NYSC says the problem is from JAMB. We don’t know who to believe,” she said.

For more than two years, Kausarat has continued to hope.

“We have been at home for over two years. We have the right to serve. They are mixing up ND part-time and HND part-time with ND part-time and HND full-time. They are not considering those who transitioned from ND part-time to HND full-time. But we believe they can sort it if they want to,” she added.

Kausarat is baffled that the trend is recent, mentioning that those who graduated before her through the ND part-time/HND full-time mode were mobilised.

“Those before us who did ND part-time and HND full-time were mobilised,” she added. “Why did this start with us?”

Kausarat’s story is not an isolated one; there are thousands of HND graduates whose khaki dreams are yet to turn reality.

Habeeb Oluwatoyin, a 2023 Electrical Electronics graduate of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, who is also affected by the policy, said the exclusion of HND full-time graduates with ND part-time background became pronounced in the last three years.

He said, “If we had known that undertaking ND part-time programmes would haunt us later, many of us would not have chosen that route. Each time I enter my details on the portal, I see ‘Excluded.’ Even after visiting the NYSC office and being told we are eligible, the portal still says otherwise.

“We have had people who did part-time ND before full-time HND and served. Why is this starting with us?”

Number 80 of the National Policy on Education of the Federal Republic of Nigeria stipulates that polytechnics, in addition to general goals of higher education, shall “provide full-time or part-time courses of instruction and training in engineering, other technologies, applied science, business and management, leading to the production of trained manpower.”

Who qualifies to serve?

The NYSC was established by Decree No. 24 of May 22, 1973, with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the Nigerian youths, the promotion of national unity and the development of the Nigerian youth and Nigeria into a great and dynamic economy. As a result, youths are mobilised outside their states of origin to be exposed to the modes of living of the people in different parts of Nigeria, while they are encouraged to eschew religious intolerance by accommodating religious differences. Section two of the NYSC Act CAP N84 stipulates that those eligible for call-up are Nigerians who graduate from any university in and outside Nigeria; those who have obtained a Higher National Diploma or such other professional qualification as may be prescribed.

It further stipulates that a person shall not be called to serve if, at the date of his or her graduation, or obtaining diploma or other professional qualification, the person is over 30 years, has served in the Armed Forces of the Nigeria Police Force for a period of more than nine months, a member of staff of security and intelligence agency, or has been conferred with any national honour.

Also, in March, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, stressed that only HND full-time graduates were eligible to be mobilised for NYSC, while those who did HND part-time remained ineligible. Alausa spoke after meeting with the Director-General of NYSC, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu.

However, the likes of Kausarat, Habeeb and others insist that eligibility should be determined by the HND study mode, not the OND background.

Juniors mobilised, seniors weep

What pains Saidi Abdullahi, a 2022 graduate of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa most is watching juniors and mentees parade in NYSC uniforms on social media.

“I feel terrible seeing my juniors in khaki, especially when they post their passing-out pictures. It hurts because we all struggled through school with the hope of serving, only for that hope to be dashed,” he said.

Abdullahi recounts times when he is moved to shed tears at such sights of his juniors in NYSC uniform.

“I am unhappy when I see my junior colleagues wear the NYSC khaki. I get sadder when I see people post on their statuses: POP, the journey of one year comes to an end, to God be the glory. It is very painful. I can’t bear it. I know how hard it is studying in school – the sleepless nights- to graduate, with the hope of going for NYSC afterwards, only for such hope to be dashed,” he said.

Olawoore Samuel, a 2024 graduate of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, said the situation was worsened by the shifting of responsibility among agencies, including the NYSC, National Board for Technical Education, JAMB and schools’ management.

Olawoore said, “It has been difficult. During ND, we did JAMB regularisation. Later, we were asked to submit JAMB admission letters. We complied, saw our names on the Senate list, yet we were not mobilised. The school says it’s NYSC; NYSC says it’s the school,” he said.

Deborah Oluwafunmilayo, a 2024 Accountancy graduate of Yabatech, described the explanation that their ND part-time background disqualified them as “strange.”

“Two sets have been mobilised for service after I graduated. We have not been given a tangible reason why we have not been mobilised. All we hear is that the issue is that we have an ND part-time background, which is strange.”

“Two sets after us have been mobilised. We have never been given a clear reason. Being an HND graduate already comes with labour market discrimination; now, ND part-time has become another hurdle,” she said.

Another affected graduate, Akinbode Boluwatife, simply said, “We are HND full-time graduates; we should be eligible to serve. We are not part-time. We are full-time graduates. We know what we spent and the years invested. We should be eligible to serve. We have suffered a lot.”

Badmus Oriyomi, a 2023 Business Administration graduate of Lagos State Polytechnic, said the issuance of exclusion letters lies squarely with the NYSC.

“The portal belongs to NYSC. They are the ones issuing exclusion letters, and they should resolve it,” he said.

Kehinde Tobi, a 2023 graduate of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, said they were assured there would be no issues if they transitioned to HND full-time. He tags the development “a betrayal of trust.

“When we were taking the ND part-time form, we were told there would be no issues with serving as long as we transitioned to HND full-time. After promising that we will be mobilised, nothing has happened. We pay N8,500 to access the portal, yet what we get is exclusion,” Tobi said.

Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Lagos Joint Campus Committee, Quadri Abduraheem, described the situation as “unjust,” saying thousands of HND graduates, particularly in the South-West, have remained unmobilised since 2023.

Abduraheem said, “This is not just a failure of policy, it is a betrayal of trust, a violation of rights, and a disregard for the dignity of Nigerian students. This is not just about NYSC; it is about the future of education, the integrity of our institutions, and the rights of every Nigerian student. We demand fairness; we demand inclusion; we demand justice.

“These students have exhausted every peaceful and administrative channel. So, we demand that the NYSC and all relevant authorities correct the misclassification of full-time HND graduates. We also demand the authorities commence immediate mobilisation of all eligible students, and refund unjust payments made under pretences.”

He lamented that the students remained excluded despite the Ministry of Education press release in March, the NYSC acknowledgement letter dated 28th March, the NBTE portal upload directive dated May 6, 2025; the NYSC mobilisation instruction dated September 26, 2025.

Buttressing the NANS chairman’s position, Temitope Majaro, a graduate of the Yabatech, termed the situation “an administrative failure, a violation of rights, a betrayal of trust and a threat to our future.”

Majaro, who spoke under the aegis of “Concerned Polytechnic graduates for fairness and inclusion,” alluded to assurances by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, during a visit to Yabatech, that their agitation would be looked into.

Majaro said, “We were assured through our Student Affairs Officers and direct communication with NYSC officials that we would be mobilised in batch B Stream 1 and Stream 2. We were instructed to register with Batch B2 with the promise that our status would change from Excluded to Call up within days. We complied. Yet, instead of mobilisation, we were issued Exclusion letters.

“In response, we submitted formal complaints and made recommendations. NYSC responded with a new directive: surrender the exclusion letters through our institutions, which would then re-upload our information for proper mobilisation in Batch C1 2025. We complied again, in good faith. Our institutions forwarded the documents to NYSC as instructed.

“However, as batch C1 registration commenced, our mobilisation status remains unchanged. Worse still, we were misclassified as part-time students on the NYSC portal, despite being full-time graduates. This misclassification threatens our eligibility and contradicts the resolutions reached between NYSC and our union representatives.”

Careers stalled, futures delayed

Affected graduates say the absence of NYSC discharge certificates has cost them jobs, promotions and further education opportunities.

Abidemi said she lost job offers at the point of producing an NYSC certificate. “Employers don’t want exclusion letters; they want discharge or exemption certificates.”

Boluwatife said many applications stall once employers demand NYSC certificates. “Our future is at stake. I have been forwarding my Curriculum Vitae to companies, but things get stalled when I am asked for my NYSC discharge certificate. Without an NYSC discharge certificate, companies don’t see you as a graduate,” she said.

Deborah said those willing to employ them often offer poor wages. “Once you tick ‘No’ for NYSC completion, some application portals log you out instantly,” she said.

Oriyomi added that his plans for postgraduate studies have also been stalled.

Kehinde Tobi, a graduate of Yabatech, appealed to the Minister of Education for urgent intervention. “In March, the minister told us that all those who got their ND via the part-time mode and transitioned to HND full-time are eligible to be mobilised for NYSC, yet the NYSC portal categorises us as illegal. This has dragged on since 2023. We want the Minister, Tunji Alausa, to seriously intervene. Our ambitions for a great future are being threatened by not having an NYSC certificate. Why should we not be allowed to serve?”

Ministry reacts

When contacted, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, said the matter had been resolved from the ministry’s end, adding that mobilisation lies within the NYSC’s jurisdiction.

A senior official of the National Board for Technical Education also said NYSC should be contacted first. “You have to contact NYSC first before NBTE,” the official stated.

Repeated attempts to get a response from the NYSC headquarters, through calls and messages, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. But, the Lagos State Coordinator, Mrs Christiana Salmwang, said the scheme would not deliberately deny eligible graduates mobilisation. Salmwang said, “The director general is a loving father who cares about Nigerian youths. If we have unresolved issues, come to the table and discuss. If there is a misunderstanding, it can be resolved. NYSC will not intentionally deny anyone the right to serve. He would not want to see any youth suffer undue hardship. The NYSC management will address the grievances.”

Lawyers kick

Rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, has argued that the National Youth Service Corps has no legal basis to question the academic pathways of graduates it is mandated to mobilise. According to Falana, decisions on the mode of study, whether part-time or full-time, fall squarely within the authority of educational institutions, not the NYSC.

“The business of the NYSC is restricted to mobilising graduates, not questioning their qualifications,” Falana said. “The mode of study, whether part-time or full-time, is the policy of schools. Once a citizen has graduated and has been awarded an HND certificate, it is not the business of the NYSC to demobilise or exclude such a person.”

He stressed that the statutory responsibility of the scheme is limited to mobilising graduates trained both within and outside the country.

Another human rights lawyer, Mr Niyi Aborisade, described the exclusion of graduates who completed their ND through part-time study but proceeded to full-time HND as discriminatory and morally unjust. Aborisade argued that even the provision of the NYSC Act that bars part-time HND graduates from mobilisation is itself inequitable and called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene.

“The exclusion of part-time HND graduates, whether because of their ND background or their mode of study, is morally unjust,” he said. “The reason for the discrimination against part-time HND graduates or those who completed their ND part-time but proceeded to full-time HND remains unclear.”

He added, “The exclusion of part-time HND graduates or those who did their ND part-time may have found its way into the 2004 Act unwittingly, as no explanation was provided for it. A law that bars part-time HND graduates under the age of 30 from serving without a justifiable explanation is discriminatory. A morally unjust law lacks legitimacy.”

He urged the President to exercise his powers under the NYSC Act to correct what he described as an anomaly. “The law must be fair, just and equitable. Any exclusion preventing HND graduates from being eligible for NYSC should be removed,” Aborisade added.

For another legal practitioner, Mr Raheem Saheed, there is no defensible justification for excluding HND graduates from mobilisation based on their ND history. “I am of the view that they cannot be denied their right to NYSC because of their ND part-time past. It is illogical to do that,” Saheed said. (PUNCH)

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