By Stella Odueme
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has called on corps members to embrace vocational training and entrepreneurship as pathways to economic independence and sustainable livelihoods after completing their national service.
The Director-General of the Scheme, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, gave the charge while addressing the 2026 Batch ‘C’ Stream II corps members at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Iseyin, Oyo State.
According to a statement by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, on Sunday, he urged them to take full advantage of the Scheme's Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, noting that acquiring practical skills would equip them to explore business opportunities and become self-reliant.
Nafiu also advised the corps members to see their service year as an opportunity to build leadership capacity, gain new experiences and make meaningful contributions to national development.
He acknowledged that the growing number of graduates mobilised annually had increased pressure on the Scheme's resources and infrastructure, particularly in the areas of accommodation, healthcare, transportation and other welfare services.
Despite these challenges, he assured corps members that the NYSC management remained committed to improving their welfare and expanding opportunities for skills acquisition and economic empowerment.
The Director-General also revealed a significant shift in the gender composition of corps members, stating that female graduates had outnumbered males in annual mobilisation figures since 2021.
He explained that male graduates had maintained dominance in the mobilisation statistics from the establishment of the Scheme in 1973 until 2020, when the trend began to change.
According to statistics from the NYSC Information and Communication Technology Department, 167,840 females were mobilised in 2021, compared with 152,052 males. In 2022, female mobilisation stood at 159,330, against 143,872 males.
Nafiu attributed the development to improved educational opportunities for women, increased investment in girl-child education and greater female participation in tertiary education.
He also linked the changing trend to sustained government interventions and international development programmes, particularly the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals, which prioritise gender equality and access to education.
He said the development had important implications for Nigeria's future workforce and called on policymakers, employers and other stakeholders to recognise the changing demographic pattern.
He particularly emphasised the need for workplace policies that accommodate women's welfare requirements, including maternity benefits and childcare support.
Earlier, the Oyo State NYSC Coordinator, Mr Kayode Ola-Peters, disclosed that 4,547 prospective corps members had registered for the 2026 Batch ‘C’ Stream II orientation exercise in the state.
He praised the corps members for their discipline, enthusiasm and active participation in camp activities, describing their conduct as exemplary.