The National Alliance for Democratic (NAD) has called on former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, and other former Nigerian presidents to intervene in the proposed reforms of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), warning that some of the planned changes could undermine the scheme’s core mandate of promoting national unity.
The group made the call amid concerns over aspects of the reforms approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), arguing that they could weaken the founding ideals of the NYSC, established in 1973 to foster national integration and post-civil war reconciliation.
In a statement, the National Convener of NAD, Dr. Lucky Eremosele, urged Gowon and other former leaders to engage President Bola Tinubu to ensure that any reforms to the scheme are guided by the national interest.
“General Yakubu Gowon and our former Presidents have a historic responsibility to protect the NYSC as a symbol of Nigerian unity. We call on them to immediately engage President Tinubu on these reforms,” Eremosele said.
He warned that while efforts to modernise the scheme were necessary, reforms should not shift the NYSC’s focus from national integration to skills acquisition or commercial objectives.
“The proposed changes, while claiming to modernise the scheme, risk diluting its primary purpose of fostering national integration. National interest must supersede any rushed alterations that could weaken this vital institution,” he added.
The group argued that the NYSC’s deployment policy has remained an important tool for promoting understanding among Nigerians despite growing security and ethno-religious challenges.
NAD also called for wider consultations involving the scheme’s founding generation, traditional rulers, youth organisations and civil society groups before implementing any far-reaching reforms.
It specifically appealed to Gowon, former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, Ernest Shonekan and Abdulsalami Abubakar to provide guidance that would help preserve the scheme’s nation-building role.
The alliance further expressed concerns over proposals on technology-driven mobilisation, specialised career streams and other reforms, saying they should be carefully reviewed to avoid creating inequality or reducing opportunities for national integration.
While commending successive batches of corps members for their contributions to national development, the group urged the federal Government to prioritise their safety, welfare and the original philosophy of the scheme in any review process.
NAD warned that reforms that fail to preserve the NYSC’s nation-building role could erode public confidence in one of Nigeria’s longest-standing national institutions.
