The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) revealed that the federal Ministry of Education proposed to extend the national service period from one year to two years.
The proposal was made public in a statement Saturday by NYSC Director of News and Public Relations Caroline Embu.
The development was revealed Friday after New York City Director-General NAFIU visited New York City Director Olakunle Nafiu to Abuja’s Education Secretary Tunji Alausa. The visit forms part of a broader reform effort to address certificate extortion and improve the integrity of the NYSC program.
In 2024, a federal investigation found that about 22,789 Nigerians submitted fake foreign degree certificates to participate in the NYSC program. This revelation has sparked nationwide repression and a series of reforms to disinfect the system.
Alausa highlights the ongoing efforts of the ministry to digitize the verification process of foreign-trained Nigerian graduates. He also praised the digitization of the NYSC mobilization process, which he said greatly curbed certificate fraud.
The Education Minister reportedly advocated extending the NYSC service year to two years, noting that this would allow for the expansion of the Skill Access and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) program for Legion members. “You did a great job. Let NYSC provide people with more opportunities to be job creators that meet the needs of the country,” Alausa said at the conference.
In response to the proposal, NYSC DG reiterated its commitment to keeping the program aligned with federal government directives. “We are also trying to reform the program to meet current national needs,” Nafiu said.
He also called for the creation of a central database to track young Nigerians studying abroad for undergraduate studies. According to him, such a database will provide the government with reliable student records and help eliminate the popularity of fake graduates.
