The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), once seen as a unifying force, has become a significant barrier to progress for hundreds of thousands of Nigerian graduates. Instead of serving as a swift bridge into national service and employment, the programme now traps many in years-long uncertainty, blocking them from work and advancement, IYABO LAWAL reports.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which was designed as a mandatory national service to foster unity and deploy graduate skills, now constitutes a bottleneck that delays the future of hundreds of thousands of graduates.

Indeed, what should be a stepping stone into the world of work has become a prolonged period of waiting, sometimes for years, due to a backlog of qualified would-be corps members and slow reforms.

As of today, the scheme is not only crisis-ridden with manifest failures where it should ordinarily excel, but inherent loopholes urgently call for decisive actions to restore trust, protect young people, and preserve the institution’s original purpose.

A key point of concern is the growing backlog of graduates, some dating back to 2022, who have not yet been mobilized for their service year.

Interviews with corps members currently serving reveal that many who graduated in 2022 only commenced their service year in 2024, indicating a lag of two years or more.

Additionally, thousands who registered on the NYSC portal in 2024 still await mobilization. Official figures and civil society estimates indicate a backlog of hundreds of thousands.

The staggering scale of the problem is not hidden as official data reveals that over 500,000 graduates are currently awaiting mobilization, a number that has grown in recent years.

This backlog includes 78,000 from the 2022 cohort, 212,000 from 2023, 185,000 from 2024, and 65,000 newly registered graduates from 2025. Compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, this represents a 317 per cent increase in pending mobilizations, exposing systemic failures in a programme originally designed when Nigerian universities produced fewer than 3,000 graduates yearly.

Current trends project the backlog hitting 1.2 million by 2027, with average waiting times extending to three to four years. Without intervention, 72 per cent of affected graduates may never enter formal employment. Yet with comprehensive reform, the backlog could be cleared by Q3 2026, with the yearly processing capacity reaching 800,000, and youth unemployment dropping by 11 percentage points.

To illustrate the magnitude, Nigeria usually mobilizes about 240,000 to 350,000 corps members yearly, depending on graduating class sizes and budgetary provisions. Yet, in 2024-2025, these figures did not translate into on-time mobilization.

A human rights group, HURIWA, alleged that over 618,000 corps members, spread across multiple batches from early and late 2024, had not received promised increased allowances, symptomatic of underlying mobilization and payment delays.

The backlog crisis is largely attributed to chronic underfunding.

Historically speaking, a similar crisis occurred in 2017 when over 129,000 corps members were backlogged due to an insufficient budgetary allocation for mobilization costs.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari requested additional funding to alleviate the problem partially. Even though this funding pattern has persisted, budget ceilings often fall short of mobilization needs, causing a bottleneck that forces the NYSC to ration mobilization slots among universities, prolonging waiting times for many graduates.

Despite an increased budgetary allocation in the 2025 budget, over N430 billion allocated to the NYSC, including approximately N373 billion specifically for corps members’ allowances, backlogs still persist, suggesting inefficiencies, delays in budget release, or misaligned resource deployment. The increase in graduate numbers due to Nigeria’s expanding tertiary education system further pressures the scheme’s capacity.

The backlog has profound consequences. The NYSC discharge certificate remains a de facto requirement for many employers, particularly in government and formal sectors.

Hence, delayed mobilization directly blocks access to employment opportunities, swelling the ranks of unemployed or underemployed youths. This dynamic intensifies socio-economic insecurity, escalates youth frustration, and impedes Nigeria’s efforts to harness its demographic dividend.

The federal government’s implementation of a new national minimum wage in mid-2024 raised the wage from N30,000 to N70,000, prompting a corresponding increase in NYSC monthly allowances from N33,000 to N77,000 starting March 2025.

However, the transition was mired in delays and poor communication. For months after the wage announcement in September 2024, corps members continued to receive the old stipend, missing out on the financial relief and dignity that the new wage promised.

Government officials explained that the allowance increase had not initially been factored into the 2024 budget and required fresh budgetary approvals and “cash backing” before payment could commence.

The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, and NYSC Director-General, Olakunle Nafiu, repeatedly affirmed that while the new allowance rate was approved, budget release and administrative processes caused delays. Payments finally began in March 2025, approximately six months after the official announcement was made.

Despite these assurances, arrears payments remain a critical issue. Civil society groups, notably HURIWA, accused the NYSC and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development of failing to fully compensate over 600,000 corps members who served since early 2024 for the difference between the old and new stipends.

Such large-scale delay in arrears payment undermines trust and exacerbates economic vulnerability among corps members, many of whom rely entirely on these allowances for sustenance.

The NYSC leadership has endeavoured to ensure that corps members receive eventual payment, emphasizing the accurate maintenance of financial records and a commitment to closing the backlog.

However, the lag illustrates systemic issues in budget planning, financial management, and governance coordination within government structures that are responsible for youth welfare.

The accumulation of backlog and wage payment problems is not solely a function of budgetary deficits. Significant operational and administrative inefficiencies further complicate mobilization.

Universities and tertiary institutions often delay or inconsistently upload lists of graduates (approved by schools’ senates) and essential data onto the NYSC portal, disturbing verification and call-up scheduling. Incomplete or inaccurate data impedes NYSC’s ability to generate mobilization lists effectively.

Also, the NYSC digital platform experiences downtime and bugs during critical registration and verification phases, frustrating prospective corps members who strive to meet deadlines and complete necessary documentation.

Additionally, foreign-trained graduates and certain professional categories, such as medical corps members, undergo prolonged additional verifications, leading to asynchronous mobilization timelines.

Apart from that, numerous corps members complain about postings unrelated to their skills, poor living conditions, and mismatches that diminish the overall efficacy of the NYSC scheme.

The NYSC has launched efforts to modernize and streamline the mobilization process. The 2025 mobilization timetable was announced early in the year, setting fixed windows for registration, verification, printout of call-up letters, and deployment to circumvent previous last-minute delays.

These improvements demonstrate a recognition of bottlenecks; however, the pace of implementation and its impact continue to be scrutinized by the public and oversight bodies.

The delayed mobilization and allowance issues reverberate well beyond administrative frustrations, influencing Nigeria’s broader socio-economic fabric. Consider youth unemployment. The wait for mobilization delays entry into the formal labour market. The NYSC discharge certificates are often prerequisites for public service and private sector employment, effectively barring access for graduates who have been waiting for a long time.

Another consequence is financial hardship. Corps members heavily depend on allowances for accommodation, food, and transportation. Failure to receive the increased stipend on time places many in difficult economic circumstances, reducing morale and undermining the intent of the national service year. Linked to that is the psychological impact. Extended uncertainty, lack of communication, and inconsistent policies dampen youth enthusiasm, risk heightened disillusionment, and erode the national integration ethos that the NYSC seeks to build.

Even employers are also frustrated as businesses and agencies face irregular influxes of newly mobilized graduates rather than a steady workforce, complicating hiring and planning.

The implications for national development are severe. Nigeria, with one of the world’s youngest populations, relies on structured pathways, such as the NYSC, for manpower development, cross-cultural integration, and youth empowerment. Disruptions diminish these roles and increase social risks in explosive demographic contexts.

The federal government acknowledged these challenges publicly, and the 2025 budgetary increase signalled its intent to better fund the scheme.

Officials, including the Youth Development Minister and NYSC leadership, have stated commitments to clearing allowances backlogs and improving mobilization timeliness.

The government cited on-the-ground improvements, such as the introduction of an export support desk and enhanced inter-agency coordination, which illustrate efforts to support vulnerable groups within the economy, including corps members who face economic hardship during their service years.

Nonetheless, criticisms from advocacy groups like HURIWA highlight gaps between policy promises and actual delivery, demanding transparency and accountability for delayed arrears and mobilization backlogs.

Interviews with corps members vividly illustrate the personal impact of the backlog. Six corps members interviewed at their workplaces indicated that they completed their studies in 2022, but only began service in 2024, a two-year delay that interrupted career progress and created financial strain.

Others who registered on the NYSC portal since 2023 remain uncertain about when mobilization will occur. Some expressed a willingness to serve but feel neglected by systemic dysfunction, which dampens enthusiasm and trust in national institutions.

These testimonials underscored the urgent necessity for responsive reforms—delays disrupt not only bureaucratic processes, but fundamentally affect youths’ livelihoods and futures.

Resolving the NYSC backlog and allowance payment challenges demands multidimensional reforms.

Stakeholders reiterated the need for predictable and adequate funding, which means that budget processes must prioritize the NYSC scheme with reliable multi-year funding.

This, according to public analyst Peter Adesanmi, ensures that the mobilization quota aligns with graduate output and that allowances are paid promptly and diligently.

Similarly, seasoned educationist, Dr. Banjo Olusanya, recommended enhanced data and digital infrastructure.

Olusanya noted that universities and NYSC must implement seamless, real-time data sharing protocols and upgrade portal technology to prevent registration and verification bottlenecks.

The government and NYSC are also urged to streamline verification and deployment by reviewing and refining verification procedures for all categories of corps members, cutting redundancies, and aligning postings to skills and preferences where feasible.

On her part, a school owner, Bidemi Okusanya, advocated improved communication and transparency, stressing the need for the NYSC to regularly update prospective and serving corps members on mobilization schedules, payment statuses, and operational changes through accessible channels.

Besides, they demand strengthened oversight and accountability. “Civil society and parliamentary committees must exercise persistent oversight of NYSC operations to ensure that promises are translated into concrete outcomes. There is also a call for youth welfare programmes, such as affordable housing, healthcare access, and mental health services, during service tenure, which should be enhanced to improve the conditions of corps members.”

The Senate prepares emergency sessions to address this crisis in September, the future of half a million young Nigerians hangs in the balance. (The Guardian, but headline rejigged)