Nigeria’s NYSC Is ‘Here to Stay’, Says Pioneer Chief

The first head of Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has dismissed calls for the scheme’s abolition, insisting that the programme has become an essential part of the nation’s social fabric. Retired Colonel Ahmadu Ali, who served as the pioneer National Director when the scheme was founded in 1973, made the remarks during a meeting with the current Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, at his residence in Abuja. Reflecting on more than 50 years of the scheme, Col. Ali noted that the NYSC has successfully moved past the initial era of public scepticism to become a highly anticipated rite of passage for Nigerian graduates.

From Protest to Participation

Col. Ali recalled that the scheme faced significant backlash at its inception, with many graduates protesting against the mandatory year of service. Today, he argues, that resistance has been replaced by “anticipation and excitement.”He highlighted several key achievements of the scheme:

National Integration: Providing young people the opportunity to visit and live in states they might otherwise never have seen.

Resilience: Encouraging graduates to operate outside their “comfort zones,” which builds tolerance and coping mechanisms.

Visionary Leadership: Col. Ali praised the foresight of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, for establishing the programme following the civil war.

A Legacy of Unity

Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu described the visit as a “homage” to the man who laid the foundation for the scheme’s stability. He credited Col. Ali’s “administrative savvy” for navigating the early challenges that threatened the programme’s survival in the 1970s.”People have the privilege to go to other states which ordinarily they wouldn’t have,” Col. Ali remarked, emphasizing that the primary goal of fostering national unity remains as relevant today as it was five decades ago. Despite periodic debates in the Nigerian National Assembly regarding the cost and security of the scheme, the NYSC remains one of the largest youth mobilisation programmes in Africa, deploying tens of thousands of graduates annually to schools, hospitals, and rural infrastructure projects.