The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu has urged for improved orientation programmes and camp facilities to prepare corps members for national development and contemporary social concerns.
Nafiu made the statement in Abuja on Wednesday while delivering the keynote lecture at the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream I Pre-Orientation Course Workshop.
He said the NYSC Orientation Course needed to go beyond routine activities and be a platform for instilling values, citizenship, leadership and skills required to progress national interests.
He said that the increasing number of prospective corps members has heightened the requirement for state governments to meet their duties to the plan by providing functioning and adequate orientation camps.
“The population of the corps keeps growing and it is important for state governments to appreciate and fulfil their responsibilities to the scheme through the provision of befitting and functional orientation camps,” he said.
The NYSC leader said the increased number of corps members was not only a logistical problem but an opportunity to make more impact on the nation, adding that orientation sessions should be tailored towards national development goals.
“Managing this growing number of corps members will not only be a logistical challenge but an opportunity to further increase our developmental impact as a scheme. When orientation contents are aligned to national interests, a larger intake will produce better results,” he added.
Nafiu also asked the camp leaders to keep high ethical standards and serve as role models to the corps members during the orientation exercise.
He cautioned against wrongdoing, adding unethical behaviour by both camp staff and corps members would not be condoned.
The Director-General urged the use of digital media tools in orientation activities and said that corps members should be instructed on responsible conduct online and how to use digital platforms for community engagements and mobilization.
He also underlined the need to prioritise security consciousness and preserve partnerships with security agencies to guarantee the safety of orientation camps around the country.
Earlier, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics of the NYSC, Nura Umar, had said that the workshop was conducted to evaluate past orientation programmes, find out loopholes and come up with plans for the improvement of future exercises.
Umar said the title of the workshop, “Strengthening the Orientation Course to Advance National Priorities and Contemporary Challenges” underscores the crucial significance of the orientation programme in developing the values, discipline and service experience of corps members.
He said the orientation course remained a key tool for building patriotism, discipline and national unity among the Nigerian young, and urged the participants to offer proposals that would strengthen camp management and service delivery.
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