Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has stirred public reaction after proposing that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme be extended from one year to two years.
The minister made the call on Friday during a courtesy visit by the new NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, at his office in Abuja.
According to Dr Alausa, the extra service year would allow corps members to undergo deeper entrepreneurship training through the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme.
“You have done so well as an organization. Let NYSC give people more opportunity to become job creators that will meet the needs of the country,” he said.
He also commended NYSC’s recent digitization process, noting it has helped curb certificate fraud, especially among foreign-trained graduates from West Africa.
The minister addressed concerns about OND part-time graduates who later pursued full-time HND programmes but were previously excluded from national service.
Meanwhile, General Nafiu praised the minister’s efforts in reforming the education sector. He also proposed the creation of a database to track Nigerian students travelling abroad for degree programmes.
The two-year NYSC proposal has since sparked debates online, with many questioning its feasibility and impact on young Nigerians already grappling with unemployment and delayed career starts.