The Federal Government has lifted the restriction on posting National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to private sector organisations, allowing corps members to now serve in industries such as banking nd oil and gas companies.
The policy change, announced by the Minister for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, is set to take effect with the 2024 Batch ‘C’ Orientation Exercise.
The decision, detailed in a memo dated November 18, 2024, overturned a long-standing policy that restricted corps members to public sector roles in education, agriculture, health, and infrastructure.
That policy, introduced during the tenure of former Youth Affairs Minister Bolaji Abdullahi, sought to prevent private companies from exploiting corps members as cheap labor while promoting public sector capacity building.
Minister Olawande explained that the policy review was part of President Bola Tinubu’s strategy to address rising youth unemployment by broadening opportunities for corps members. He noted that the revised directive aims to ensure corps members gain practical experience in their areas of study, which the previous policy hindered.
“There is an urgent need to review this policy to expand the opportunity and access for corps members to serve in places that are relevant to their areas of study,” Olawande stated. “The now-revoked policy has greatly hampered experience gathering that would effectively prepare them for the job market.”
The new directive will initially take effect in Lagos and Abuja, with corps members being posted to private sector organizations, including select banks and oil and gas companies. Olawande emphasized that efforts will be made to align postings with the corps members’ fields of study to ensure they gain relevant skills for the labor market.
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