A pro-democracy group, the National Alliance for Democracy (NAD), has appealed to General Yakubu Gowon, former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida and other elder statesmen to intervene in the Federal Government’s proposed reforms of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), warning that the changes could weaken the scheme’s founding objective of promoting national unity.
The group said although it supports efforts to modernise the 52-year-old scheme, any reform that shifts its focus away from national integration could undermine one of Nigeria’s most enduring institutions.
Addressing journalists on Friday in Abuja, the National Convener of NAD, Dr. Lucky Eremosele, urged Gowon, who founded the NYSC in 1973 after the Nigerian Civil War, to engage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and ensure that the ongoing reforms remain faithful to the vision behind the establishment of the scheme.
He said the reforms recently approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) should be subjected to wider consultations to prevent policies capable of eroding the NYSC’s nation-building role.
“The NYSC remains one of Nigeria’s strongest platforms for fostering unity across ethnic, religious and regional divides. Any reform must preserve that identity,” Eremosele said.
He warned against proposals that could transform the scheme into a programme driven mainly by vocational training or commercial interests, arguing that such a shift could weaken its role in promoting national cohesion at a time Nigeria faces security challenges and deepening divisions.
According to him, the deployment of corps members outside their states of origin has, over the years, helped to build mutual understanding, strengthen national integration and promote post-war reconciliation.
NAD also urged the Federal Government to broaden consultations by involving traditional rulers, youth organisations, civil society groups and members of the generation that conceived the NYSC.
The alliance specifically called on Gowon, Obasanjo, Babangida, former Head of the Interim National Government Ernest Shonekan and former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar to lend their voices and experience to the reform process.
Eremosele argued that the intervention of the elder statesmen would provide the historical perspective needed to ensure the reforms strengthen rather than weaken the scheme.
He also advised the government to carefully examine proposals on technology-driven mobilisation and specialised career streams to ensure they do not create inequality or limit opportunities for graduates to participate fully in national service.
While commending President Tinubu’s commitment to creating more opportunities for Nigerian youths, the group insisted that preserving the NYSC’s original philosophy of national unity must remain the overriding priority.
It further urged the Federal Government to improve the welfare and security of corps members, describing them as critical ambassadors of national integration.
According to the alliance, reforms that weaken the NYSC’s core values could diminish public confidence in one of Nigeria’s longest-running nation-building programmes.
NAD reaffirmed its support for reforms that improve the efficiency and relevance of the scheme but maintained that such changes must preserve its historic mission of fostering national cohesion.
