A member of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend the newly approved reforms to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) pending a comprehensive review.
Agbese, who represents Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State and serves as Deputy Spokesman of the House, raised the concerns in a letter to the President, warning that some of the proposed changes could undermine the scheme’s original objectives.
“It is with a deep sense of patriotic duty and concern for national cohesion that I write,” Agbese stated.
He said the appeal was driven by the need to preserve the NYSC’s role in promoting national unity, cultural interaction and youth development, and called on the Federal Government to halt implementation and set up a broad-based committee — including relevant stakeholders and experts — to assess the reforms’ likely effects.
The reforms, approved by the Federal Executive Council, include a shift from military to civilian leadership, an extension of the orientation camp from three to six weeks, changes to the NYSC uniform, a structured training curriculum, skills-based deployment, automated mobilisation, and formal graduation ceremonies.
On leadership change: Agbese questioned replacing military leadership with civilian administration, arguing the switch needs careful assessment given the role the military has played in operational coordination and security support. He asked whether civilian leadership can effectively handle the security and logistical challenges of deploying corps members nationwide, and insisted the change should not proceed without stakeholder consultation.
On skills-based deployment: He acknowledged it could boost productivity but warned it might disrupt the spread of corps members across regions, reducing the cross-cultural exposure the scheme was designed to foster.
On the uniform: Agbese said the existing attire promotes equality and shared national identity across ethnic, religious and socioeconomic lines, and urged that any changes should not weaken that sense of belonging.
On camp extension: He raised concerns over the financial and logistical burden of doubling the orientation camp period, calling for a cost-benefit analysis covering accommodation, feeding, healthcare and security costs before implementation.
Agbese recalled that NYSC was established in 1973 to foster national unity and cross-cultural understanding, and insisted any reform must stay true to that mandate. He appealed to Tinubu to set up a multidisciplinary committee to review the proposals and ensure the welfare, safety and development of corps members remain central to any restructuring.
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