The Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, has proposed doubling the duration of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme from one year to two years.
Dr. Alausa made the recommendation while receiving the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Akinyemi Nafiu, during a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja. The proposal was confirmed through a post on the NYSC’s official Facebook page.
As part of broader reforms, the minister also called for improvements to the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) initiative. He emphasized the need for more hands-on vocational training that would empower corps members with practical skills and entrepreneurial know-how.
Dr. Alausa further stressed the need to deploy more graduate teachers to rural and underserved areas to help close the gap in educational personnel in those regions.
He commended the NYSC’s digitized mobilization system for its role in reducing certificate-related fraud, especially among Nigerian graduates from other West African countries. He also acknowledged the scheme’s efforts in resolving exemption issues that previously affected part-time OND holders with full-time HND degrees.
The minister revealed that the Ministry is working on a system to digitally verify the credentials of Nigerians who studied abroad and pledged continued collaboration with the NYSC to strengthen education across the country.
In response, Brigadier General Nafiu voiced his support for the ministry’s initiatives and proposed establishing a centralized database for Nigerians pursuing studies overseas—a move he believes would help prevent the spread of fake academic qualifications in Nigeria.
Also present, Permanent Secretary Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan reiterated the Ministry’s dedication to enhancing its partnership with the NYSC as part of efforts to improve Nigeria’s education sector.
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