Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Frustration continues to mount among graduates of Kaduna Polytechnic awaiting mobilization for the National Youth Service Corps, as the institution's Director of NYSC, Dr. Abdullahi Egooh Yusuf, has shed light on the complex factors behind the persistent delays. In an exclusive interview on Monday, August 24, 2026, Dr. Yusuf explained that the delays stem from a combination of increasing graduate population, limited orientation camp capacity, quota system allocations, and bottlenecks in the NYSC's processing system. The director's clarification comes as thousands of graduates across the country remain in limbo, unable to proceed to their mandatory national service despite completing their academic programmes.
According to Dr. Yusuf, Kaduna Polytechnic produces close to 10,000 graduates in a single academic session, making it impractical to upload all graduates at once. The NYSC does not mobilize all prospective corps members at once but processes them in batches due to available capacity. He noted that institutions previously uploaded graduate lists as many as six times annually, but the frequency has reduced because of an existing backlog within the NYSC system. The last institutional upload was carried out in March 2026, while the NYSC processed the submissions in April. Many graduates whose names were included are still waiting for their call-up letters. "The NYSC must first clear the backlog of graduates already in the system before requesting new uploads from institutions," Dr. Yusuf stated.
The director stressed that Kaduna Polytechnic is not operating independently of other institutions, as tertiary institutions across the country submit their graduate lists at the same time. He said institutions are expected to resume uploading from next week, but the NYSC will not necessarily mobilize every graduate whose name is submitted. Instead, the available slots are distributed according to quotas allocated to different zones. Kaduna Polytechnic, being located in the North-West zone, receives a portion of the quota shared among tertiary institutions across the region. This means that even if the institution submits a large number of graduates, the NYSC will only accept a fraction based on the zonal allocation.
Another major challenge, Dr. Yusuf explained, is the limited capacity of NYSC orientation camps. Many of the camps have been in use for decades without significant expansion, making it difficult to accommodate large numbers of corps members at once. He added that the increase in the NYSC allowance from ₦33,000 to ₦77,000 has also changed the dynamics of mobilization compared with previous years, when institutions could upload larger numbers of graduates more frequently. The higher allowance, while beneficial to corps members, has put additional strain on the NYSC's budget and capacity, further slowing the mobilization process.
Dr. Yusuf said the institution is currently preparing lists for the January 13, 2025 evening set and the February 19, 2025 regular set, while also working to include spill-over students whose graduation date was July 14, 2025. He said the next major set expected to be considered will be graduates from January 19, 2026. The director further identified incomplete JAMB regularization and expired admission letters as other factors contributing to mobilization delays. He explained that some graduates failed to regularize their JAMB details on time, while others continue to submit admission letters that have expired. According to him, JAMB admission letters are valid for only one year, and submitting an expired document can prevent a graduate's name from appearing on the Senate list.
During the last upload involving more than 4,000 graduates, the NYSC accepted only about 10 per cent of the submitted names, while nearly 270 were rejected because the associated JAMB numbers were no longer available. Dr. Yusuf assured graduates that Kaduna Polytechnic students are not expected to wait beyond one year for mobilization. He reiterated that the institution is currently working on the January 2025 evening and February 2025 regular sets, including the July 14, 2025 spill-over graduates. However, he clarified that the NYSC has not yet issued a nationwide directive for the next round of uploads, making it impossible for any institution to accurately predict when the next mobilization exercise will take place.
He recalled that in 2025, graduate lists were uploaded only twice, a situation that caused some students to believe that Kaduna Polytechnic was deliberately withholding their names. Dr. Yusuf assured that most students have now updated their JAMB admission letters and that the polytechnic is working to ensure all departments are captured in the forthcoming mobilization exercise. Graduates who believe their names have been omitted have been advised to visit Kaduna Polytechnic for clarification and necessary assistance. As thousands of graduates continue to wait, the NYSC's capacity constraints and the complexities of the mobilization system remain a source of frustration for young Nigerians eager to begin their national service and transition into the workforce.
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