The Federal Government’s newly approved reform of the National Youth Service Corps splits the orientation programme into three distinct phases and introduces 11 specialised career streams that corps members will select from at registration, according to details provided by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, on Monday.

The Federal Executive Council on Monday approved the comprehensive overhaul of the 53-year-old scheme, with the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, describing it as the first holistic review of NYSC since it was established in 1973.

Briefing State House correspondents alongside Olawande after the FEC meeting in Abuja, Usman gave further details on how the reform would restructure the orientation camp experience and reshape how corps members are trained and deployed.

Here is all you need to know about the new structure:

The orientation camp now runs in three phases

The orientation programme, extended from three weeks to six, will be broken into three two-week phases, Usman said.

The first two weeks will focus on civic responsibility, national values and leadership development.

The next two weeks will cover career mapping, basic accounting and financial literacy, business planning and access to finance.

“And then we intend to introduce a structured career day programme to enable COP members engage directly with the public,” she stated.

The final two weeks — which Usman described as a “minimal period” — will be dedicated to stream-specific training aligned with each corps member’s designated stream, based on their choice, academic background and skill profile.

The 11 specialised streams

Under the new framework, every corps member will be required to pick one of 11 specialised streams upon registration. Usman listed them as:

Agric Corps

Medical Corps

Education Corps

Tech and Digital Corps

Legal Corps

Public Service Corps

Infrastructure Corps

Green Corps

Enterprise Corps

Creative Economy Corps

Paramilitary and Security Corps

Once a corps member registers under a stream, they will be recognised accordingly — for instance, as a member of the Medical Corps — and will receive specialised training tailored to that stream during the final two weeks of orientation.

Usman said the streams were designed to equip graduates with practical skills tailored to their academic backgrounds, career interests and the needs of Nigeria’s workforce.

Deployment will now factor in security realities

Usman said the reform also reviews how corps members are posted across states, with greater consideration given to prevailing security challenges in different parts of the country. This builds on the “risk-sensitive deployment” Olawande had earlier described as part of the broader reform package.

Leadership changes from military to civilian

NYSC will now be headed by a civilian, while the military will continue to provide security for corps members nationwide — a structure Usman said reflects the administration’s broader push to build the human capital needed for a $1 trillion economy.

New uniform and graduation ceremony

The reform also introduces a redesigned NYSC uniform “that reflects professionalism and national pride,” Olawande said, replacing the current outfit corps members have worn since the scheme’s creation. The Passing Out Parade will also be scrapped in favour of a new graduation ceremony.

Camp standards nationwide will be upgraded through a national grading and certification system, according to Olawande, as part of efforts to standardise the orientation experience across all NYSC camps.

Why now

Usman said the reform touches “all the strategic aspects” of NYSC — from registration and deployment modalities to camp duration and recognition of corps members’ skill sets — and represents the first holistic review of the scheme in its 53-year history.

The FEC has directed the Attorney-General of the Federation, working with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, to amend the NYSC Act and its regulations to give legal backing to the approved changes. (The PUNCH)

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