FEC Approves Sweeping NYSC Reforms

On 29 June 2026, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a comprehensive overhaul of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the first holistic review of the scheme since its creation in 1973. The reforms extend the orientation programme from three to six weeks, replace the corps’ military leadership with a civilian Director-General while the military retains responsibility for corps members’ security, introduce a redesigned uniform, and require every corps member to select one of eleven new specialised career streams at registration. The traditional Passing-Out Parade is to be scrapped in favour of a graduation ceremony.

Developed through a review led by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development alongside the Ministry of Education and the Presidency, the changes are intended to sharpen the scheme’s focus on leadership, entrepreneurship, digital skills and employability, and to make deployment more sensitive to security risks. Described by the government as the most significant restructuring of the 53-year-old programme, the reforms are to be implemented in phases.