PROMAD Infotech Foundation, a prominent civic tech and youth development organisation, has lauded the Federal Government for taking a bold step toward reforming the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) by inaugurating a dedicated reform committee.
The inauguration, which took place in Abuja last week, was led by the Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Ayo Wisdom Olawande; the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa; and the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hajiah Hadiza Bala Usman.
In a statement signed by Oluwatosin Akinnuoye, Communications Assistant PROMAD Infotech Foundation, PROMAD expressed cautious optimism, describing the move as a long-awaited response to growing concerns about the state of the NYSC scheme many of which were highlighted in the organisation’s advocacy videos released in March 2025.
Among the issues raised by PROMAD were inadequate allowances in the face of rising living costs, delayed implementation of the minimum wage for corps members, and alarming security threats.
The organisation cited the recent abduction of eight prospective corps members from southern Nigeria en route to their orientation camp in Sokoto as a tragic example of the government’s past failures in safeguarding youth on national service.
While commending the formation of the reform committee, PROMAD stressed the need for transparency and urgency, calling on the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to immediately release the committee’s Terms of Reference (ToR).
“The success of this reform process will be judged by its outcomes, not its announcements,” the group said in a statement.
PROMAD also outlined key reform priorities, urging the committee to evelop a comprehensive security framework to protect corps members, especially in high-risk areas, enhance professional development through scalable entrepreneurial programmes like the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) initiative.
Others key reforms that ought to urgently be put place as reeled out in the statement, are establishment of strict accountability mechanisms to prevent resource mismanagement and improve living conditions at orientation camps, safeguard the fundamental rights of corps members, including freedom of expression, and review and improve deployment and redeployment policies.
The organisation warned against superficial efforts and called for a sincere, far-reaching overhaul of the NYSC scheme.
“This reform presents an opportunity to transform NYSC into a genuine tool for national unity, youth empowerment, and community development,” the statement read.
PROMAD affirmed its commitment to monitoring the reform process and pledged to work collaboratively with the committee and other stakeholders to ensure meaningful change.
“We urge corps members, civil society organisations, the media, and all concerned citizens to actively participate in the reform process. Together, we can shape a better future for Nigerian youth in national service,” the statement concluded.
By Charles Akpeji