Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
The National Youth Service Corps has called on universities, polytechnics and other Corps Producing Institutions across Nigeria to strengthen their internal data validation mechanisms, warning that persistent lapses in the mobilisation process threaten the credibility of the country’s flagship national service scheme. The call was made amid growing concerns over data discrepancies, irregular graduate uploads and attempts to manipulate records for personal gain.
The Director General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, delivered the message at the 2026 Batch ‘A’ Pre-Mobilisation Workshop held in Abuja, a critical preparatory forum that brings together key actors involved in mobilising prospective corps members for national service. The workshop, themed “Enhancing Service Delivery Across the NYSC Mobilisation Value Chain,” focused on improving efficiency, accountability and professionalism within a system that manages hundreds of thousands of graduates annually.
Addressing participants, Nafiu stressed that the mobilisation process begins long before graduates report to orientation camps, noting that data generated at the institutional level forms the backbone of the entire system. He urged heads of Corps Producing Institutions to exercise closer oversight over mobilisation activities under their authority, describing such supervision as essential to preventing errors and abuse. According to him, Desk Officers responsible for handling mobilisation data must also be adequately trained to keep pace with evolving standards, technologies and operational requirements.
The NYSC boss reaffirmed the Scheme’s commitment to its Standard Operating Procedures, emphasising that strict adherence to established guidelines remained non-negotiable. He said the organisation was intensifying collaboration across its departments, area offices and state secretariats, while also improving monitoring and evaluation frameworks to ensure better performance outcomes. Nafiu added that discipline, professionalism and ethical conduct would continue to be enforced at all levels of the mobilisation chain.
Beyond internal reforms, he called for stronger inter-agency collaboration and more regular stakeholder review meetings, arguing that mobilisation challenges could not be addressed in isolation. He highlighted the importance of data-driven decision-making, guided by clearly defined timelines and responsibilities, as a way of ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the process. In his words, a fragmented approach would only compound existing weaknesses.
While assuring participants that NYSC management remained committed to discharging its responsibilities with patriotism and integrity, Nafiu appealed to all stakeholders to work collectively towards sustaining the Scheme’s credibility. He described the mobilisation process as a public trust, noting that failures at any stage ultimately undermine confidence in national service as an institution.
Looking ahead, the Director General said the mobilisation system must be repositioned to become more efficient, transparent, accountable and people-focused. He explained that this meant delivering timely and accurate outcomes free from undue influence, with clear accountability for both actions and inactions. Equally important, he said, was the need for the system to remain responsive to the needs of prospective corps members and other stakeholders who depend on its fairness and reliability.
Nafiu described mobilisation as a complex ecosystem involving interconnected actors and systems responsible for the production, validation, mobilisation, deployment and management of prospective corps members. While acknowledging the significant progress made in digital mobilisation in recent years, he said several challenges persisted. These included poor data quality at the source, limited technical skills among some system operators, resistance to full automation and weak feedback mechanisms that slow corrective action.
He warned that violations of established guidelines, the upload of unqualified graduates, inconsistent academic records and unresolved data discrepancies continued to undermine the integrity of the process. More troubling, he noted, were cases of intentional record manipulation for personal or illegal gains, often enabled by weak internal verification systems within institutions. Such practices, he said, posed serious risks to the credibility of the Scheme and the broader education sector.
The NYSC Director General therefore issued a clear warning to Corps Producing Institutions against fraudulent mobilisation of graduates for national service. He said the Scheme would not hesitate to apply sanctions against institutions or officers found to be complicit in such practices, adding that accountability was central to restoring confidence in the system.
Earlier, the Director of the Corps Mobilisation Department, Mrs. Rachel Idaewor, set the tone for the workshop in her welcome address by urging Student Affairs Officers to carry out their duties with diligence and integrity. She reminded them that the accuracy of mobilisation data depended largely on their commitment to truthfully representing the profiles of prospective corps members under their care. Any compromise at that stage, she said, had far-reaching consequences for the entire process.
Idaewor highlighted the importance of partnerships with critical stakeholders involved in mobilisation, including the Federal Ministry of Education, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, the National Board for Technical Education, the National Universities Commission and technology partners supporting the digital platform. She described these collaborations as invaluable, stressing that effective mobilisation required collective ownership and shared responsibility.
She encouraged participants to draw lessons from past successes while remaining open to addressing emerging challenges, noting that the scale and complexity of mobilisation continued to grow alongside Nigeria’s expanding tertiary education system. According to her, only a cohesive and forward-looking approach would ensure that the Scheme met its mandate in a rapidly changing environment.
The workshop brought together Student Affairs Officers from Corps Producing Institutions nationwide, alongside representatives of regulatory bodies such as the National Universities Commission and other stakeholders. Discussions focused on aligning institutional practices with NYSC standards, improving data integrity and strengthening coordination across the mobilisation value chain.
As preparations intensify for the 2026 Batch ‘A’ orientation exercise, the message from Abuja was unambiguous: safeguarding the integrity of the NYSC mobilisation process is an urgent national priority. For the Scheme’s leadership, tightening data validation at the source is not merely an administrative requirement, but a fundamental step toward preserving fairness, accountability and public trust in one of Nigeria’s most enduring national institutions.
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