President Bola Tinubu has announced that the deployment of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members across the country will now be guided by security risk assessments as part of far-reaching reforms approved for the scheme.

The president also reaffirmed that the NYSC will be headed by a civilian director-general rather than military personnel, while the orientation programme will be expanded to six weeks to better prepare participants for employment, entrepreneurship and national service.

The reforms were approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Monday and later presented to journalists by the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, and the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman.

In a post on his X handle, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the reforms represent the most significant changes to the NYSC since its establishment in 1973.

He said the initiative aligns with his administration’s commitment to creating opportunities for young Nigerians and ensuring that youth play a central role in national development.

“On Monday, at the Federal Executive Council, our administration approved the most consequential reforms of the National Youth Service Scheme since its establishment in 1973,” Tinubu wrote.

According to the president, the NYSC has successfully promoted national unity for more than five decades, but current realities require the scheme to take on a broader developmental role.

“Our young people are nearly 70 per cent of our population. They are not a burden to be managed. They are the engine of the one-trillion-dollar economy we are building and the hope of this nation,” he stated.

Tinubu explained that the reforms are designed to transform the NYSC from a mobilisation programme into a platform for skills development, employability, productivity and entrepreneurship.

Under the new framework, the orientation course will be extended to six weeks and structured in phases. The programme will begin with civic responsibility, leadership training, values orientation and personal development before moving into career readiness, entrepreneurship, digital literacy and financial skills.

The final phase will focus on specialised training tailored to participants’ academic backgrounds and career aspirations.

The president said the training will cover sectors such as agriculture, health, education, technology, law, public service, infrastructure, the green economy, enterprise development, the creative economy, and para-military and security services.

He added that the reforms are aimed at strengthening governance, improving standards and restoring the dignity of the NYSC while ensuring that every corps member leaves the scheme better equipped for the future.