NYSC To Step Up Community Policing In Orientation Camps Nationwide

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced plans to intensify communal policing in all orientation camps across the country, beginning with the 2025 Batch “B” Stream 2 Orientation Course.

The scheme said each State Secretariat will henceforth operate a specific Camp Security Action Plan in collaboration with the Police, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), local vigilante groups, and, where necessary, the military.

The Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this on Friday while declaring open the 2025 NYSC Camp Managers’ Workshop in Abuja. His address was delivered on his behalf by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr. Ahmed Wada Ikaka.

“All hands must be on deck to curtail the spate of vandalisation and theft affecting some NYSC Orientation Camps in the country,” the DG stressed.

Nafiu commended some state governments for renovating and upgrading camp facilities but expressed concern over poor infrastructure in others, citing “outdated hostel accommodation, substandard parade grounds, overstretched and dilapidated facilities.”

He directed all state secretariats to constitute community advisory committees to strengthen collaboration with traditional rulers, youth leaders, local authorities, and other stakeholders in order to create a sense of shared responsibility for camp security.

“We must strengthen access control and drill NYSC staff, camp officials, and corps members on emergency responses,” he said, adding that camp safety and protection of facilities “are non-negotiable.”

The DG reiterated his administration’s commitment to providing a conducive environment for the orientation exercise, describing it as the foundation of every service year.

“The success of every service year begins with a hitch-free Orientation Course. The camps, which serve as the first point of contact for every corps member, leave lasting impressions that would form and shape their attitude and commitments during other phases of national service,” Nafiu noted.

Also speaking, the Acting Director of General Services Department, Mrs. Yetunde Baderinwa, explained that the workshop was organized to address critical challenges in orientation camp facility management.

According to her, the theme, “Optimizing Good Maintenance Culture of Camp Facilities: The Role of Camp Managers”, was chosen to highlight the need for efficiency in stakeholder collaboration, community engagement, and maintenance of camp infrastructure.

“As internal security officers of every facility in our orientation camps, you are responsible for safeguarding camp facilities against theft, vandalisation, and other unwholesome practices which may arise,” Baderinwa told the camp managers.

The workshop brought together all 37 NYSC orientation camp managers nationwide, members of the scheme’s top management, and resource persons.