By Fr. OKHUELEIGBE OSEMHANTIE ÃMOS

Fifty-three years after its establishment, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) stands at a defining moment in its history. The recent reforms initiated by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ranging from a proposed transition from military-style administration to civilian management, the redesign of the iconic uniform, and a comprehensive overhaul of the orientation programme with greater emphasis on entrepreneurship, digital skills, innovation, and employability, have generated widespread debate. While many Nigerians have welcomed the reforms as long overdue, others, including respected public affairs commentator Reuben Abati, have questioned whether such changes address the deeper structural challenges confronting the scheme.

The debate, however, has overlooked a more profound question. If the philosophy, objectives, methods, and institutional character of NYSC have fundamentally changed, should the institution continue to bear the same name? This is not merely a semantic inquiry. It is a question of history, philosophy, jurisprudence, and national honesty.

The National Youth Service Corps was established by General Yakubu Gowon’s administration through Decree No. 24 of 1973. Nigeria had barely emerged from a devastating civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970. More than a million lives had been lost, communities were deeply fractured, and mutual suspicion among Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities threatened the country’s fragile unity. Against that backdrop, the NYSC was conceived as an instrument of reconciliation. Its objective was clear: to foster national integration by requiring graduates to live and serve outside their states of origin, interact with different cultures, and cultivate a common Nigerian identity. The operative word was *service*.

The scheme was never designed primarily as an employment programme, a poverty alleviation initiative, or a vocational training centre. Rather, it was a civic institution whose principal mission was to heal a divided nation through shared citizenship and national service.

More than five decades later, however, Nigeria presents a painful paradox. While the NYSC has recorded undeniable successes: promoting cultural exchange, encouraging inter-ethnic friendships and marriages, and providing much-needed manpower in education, healthcare, and rural development, the broader aspiration of forging an integrated national consciousness remains elusive. Ethno-religious tensions persist. Secessionist agitations continue to emerge. Political divisions have become sharper. Insecurity now compels many prospective corp members and their families to fear deployment to certain parts of the country. The ideal of serving anywhere in Nigeria, once regarded as patriotic, has increasingly become a source of anxiety.

It would be intellectually dishonest to blame NYSC alone for Nigeria’s persistent divisions. National unity depends on leadership, justice, economic inclusion, equitable governance, and security. Yet it would be equally dishonest to ignore the reality that the conditions which necessitated the creation of the scheme in 1973 have profoundly changed, and the institution itself is now being reimagined. The Federal Government’s recent reforms are themselves an acknowledgment of this reality.

The proposed restructuring shifts significant attention towards entrepreneurship, vocational competence, digital innovation, specialised career pathways, and economic productivity. These are noble and timely objectives. In a country where graduate unemployment and underemployment have reached troubling levels, equipping young people with practical skills is both prudent and necessary. Few would dispute the value of preparing graduates to become employers of labour rather than perpetual job seekers.

But herein lies the philosophical dilemma. When the primary purpose of an institution changes, its identity also changes.

Aristotle argued that the essence of anything lies in its *telos*, its ultimate purpose or end. A tree exists to bear fruit; a school exists to educate; a court exists to administer justice. Once the fundamental purpose changes, the institution can no longer be understood merely by its historical name. Identity is defined not simply by origin but by function.

The Roman jurists understood this principle centuries ago. Law concerns not only actions but classifications. Names matter because names communicate legal identity, institutional purpose, and public expectation. Throughout history, institutions have changed their names whenever their missions evolved. The League of Nations became the United Nations because its vision expanded beyond its original framework. Colonial administrations across Africa adopted new institutional identities after independence to reflect new constitutional realities. Even nations themselves: Gold Coast becoming Ghana, Northern Rhodesia becoming Zambia, recognised that a transformed identity demanded a transformed name.

The same principle is deeply ingrained in biblical tradition. Abram became Abraham when his divine mission expanded. Jacob became Israel after his transformative encounter with God. Simon became Peter when entrusted with a new ecclesial responsibility. In each case, a new mission warranted a new name. Why should public institutions be different?

If today’s NYSC is no longer principally about national service but increasingly about youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, innovation, digital competence, and career development, then its present name has become historically incomplete. One cannot continue to describe an institution by a mission it no longer primarily pursues.

Some may argue that changing the name would erase history. On the contrary, history is honoured not by preserving outdated labels but by honestly acknowledging institutional evolution. Universities regularly rename faculties to reflect emerging disciplines. Government ministries are reorganised to correspond with changing national priorities. Organisations that refuse to align their identity with their purpose eventually become victims of conceptual confusion.

This is precisely why changing the uniform alone is insufficient. Altering the management structure alone is insufficient. Extending or redesigning orientation camps alone is insufficient. These are external adjustments. The deeper issue concerns institutional philosophy.

Names possess symbolic power. They shape public perception, influence policy direction, and define expectations. Every time Nigerians hear the words “National Youth Service Corps,” the emphasis naturally falls on national service. Yet the reforms now being championed increasingly place the emphasis on national development through skills acquisition and economic empowerment. These are related but fundamentally different concepts. Service belongs primarily to the ethics of citizenship. Skills belong primarily to the economics of development. One nurtures patriotism. The other nurtures productivity. Both are valuable, but they are not identical.

This is why the Federal Government should not stop halfway. If it genuinely believes that the future of Nigeria’s graduate transition programme lies in entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, employability, and wealth creation, then intellectual consistency demands that the institution’s name should reflect this new philosophy.

A title such as *National Youth Development Corps*, *National Graduate Development Corps*, *or *National Youth Enterprise Corps* would better capture the broadened mandate of the reformed institution while preserving the noble spirit of national commitment.

Such a change would not diminish the achievements of the NYSC. Rather, it would acknowledge that Nigeria itself has changed. The challenges confronting graduates in 2026 are fundamentally different from those of 1973. Then, the greatest national emergency was rebuilding unity after civil war. Today, the defining challenges are youth unemployment, technological disruption, economic competitiveness, and human capital development. Public institutions must evolve to confront contemporary realities rather than remain imprisoned by historical sentiment.

Finally, the question is not whether the NYSC should be reformed. That debate has already been settled by the reforms themselves. The more important question is whether Nigeria possesses the courage to follow reform to its logical conclusion. A nation that changes the philosophy of an institution without changing its identity risks creating conceptual ambiguity. Institutions, like nations and individuals, should be called what they truly are.

•Fr. Dr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Ãmos is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Uromi and a Lecturer at the Catholic Institute of West Africa, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

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