The Federal Government has removed the restriction on posting National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members exclusively to the public sector, now permitting their deployment to private organizations, including banks and oil and gas companies.
In a memo dated November 18, 2024, the Minister for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, announced that the new policy will take effect starting with the 2024 Batch ‘C’ Orientation exercise.
The previous policy, introduced under former Minister for Youth and Sports Development Bolaji Abdullahi, limited NYSC members to four sectors—education, agriculture, health, and infrastructure—to prevent private companies from exploiting cheap labor and to strengthen public sector capacity building.
Minister Ayodele Olawande explained that the new policy aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s strategy to tackle rising youth unemployment by ensuring government agencies support his administration’s vision. The directive will initially be implemented in Lagos and Abuja.
He added that the new policy would also allow the corpers to gain valuable experience in their chosen fields of study, noting that the previous policy hampered Nigerian youths from gaining experiences that would prepare them for the labour market.
The memo read in parts, “There is an urgent need to review this policy to expand the opportunity and access for corps members to serve in places that are relevant to their areas of study. Without prejudice to the need to constantly review per prevailing realities, I now direct as follows: Lifting of all restrictions on postings.
Corps members’ postings will, as much as possible, align with their fields of study. Deployment to selected banks and private sector organizations, including those in the oil and gas industry, will begin in Abuja and Lagos.
This directive will take effect from the start of the 2024 Batch ‘C’ Orientation Course and applies to all matters concerning the posting and placement of corps members at their Places of Primary Assignment.
The recently revoked policy significantly limited opportunities for corps members to gain experience that would adequately prepare them for the job market.
