Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has said that no state government in Nigeria can survive without the National Youth Service Corps, describing the scheme as a backbone of grassroots development.
Speaking on Monday at the Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on NYSC Reform in Abuja, Olawande said the corps had become indispensable after more than five decades of service to the nation.
He stressed that corps members are central to essential services nationwide. “There is no state government that can survive without corps members: in education, in health, in agric, in sports, in whatever area,” he declared.
Olawande also emphasised the need for the scheme to evolve, saying the NYSC “must move with the times” and adapt to new national and global realities.
The minister called for an overhaul of the posting system to ensure corps members serve in areas that match their skills. According to him, many young graduates “do not get the satisfaction they expected” because they are often deployed outside their academic or professional fields.
