NYSC Warns Institutions Against Mobilizing Corps Members With Irregular Academic Records

By Ayodele Oni

Director General, (DG) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig-General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, has accused some Corps Producing Institutions (CPIs) of mobilising Prospective Corps members with inconsistent academic records for personal or illegal gain.

Brig-General Nafiu in his keynote address at the 2026 Batch ‘A’ Pre-Mobilisation Workshop in Abuja, warned that the NYSC NDHQ will not hesitate to impose appropriate sanctions on any CPI found to violate established standards.

“The NYSC mobilisation process is a complex ecosystem of interconnected actors and systems.

“As we start the 2026 Batch ‘A’ mobilisation at the very beginning of a new year, it is both timely and necessary to address these issues with honesty, clarity, and determination. I have identified a number of such issues.

“First are the challenges with CPIs, which hold a crucial role in the mobilisation value chain. As the primary source of mobilisation data and the producers of graduates for national service, they are essential to the credibility of the entire process.

“Unfortunately, several issues continue to weaken effective service delivery at this level. These include violations of established NYSC mobilisation guidelines, uploading unqualified graduates, inconsistent academic records, data discrepancies, intentional record manipulation for personal or illegal gain, and weak internal verification systems.

“Together, these practices undermine the integrity of the mobilisation process and cause unnecessary operational and reputational challenges for the Scheme.

“To reverse this trend, CPIs must strengthen their internal data validation processes before uploads. Heads of institutions need to exercise greater oversight over mobilisation activities within their domains, while Desk Officers must undergo ongoing training and retraining to stay updated with evolving standards and technologies.

“CPIs should be aware that the NYSC NDHQ will not hesitate to impose appropriate sanctions on any CPI found to violate established standards,” NYSC DG said.

While listing other challenges, the NYSC DG said: “Next is the Internal Operational Gaps within NYSC, which involves improving service delivery requiring not only external compliance but also internal reflection.

The NYSC must be willing to look inward to identify internal challenges include inconsistent application of mobilisation guidelines, weak cross-departmental coordination, delays in resolving and escalating issues, and unnecessary human interference in automated processes.

“Such gaps diminish institutional efficiency and gradually undermine public trust. Moving forward, the NYSC is fully dedicated to strictly following Standard Operating Procedures, strengthening collaboration across departments, area offices, and State Secretariats, improving monitoring and performance evaluation, and reinforcing discipline, professionalism, and ethical behaviour at all levels.

“Another important issue is Technology and Data Management Challenges. While the Scheme has made significant progress in digital mobilisation, notable challenges remain.

“These include poor data quality at the source, limited technical skills among some system operators, resistance to full automation, and inadequate feedback mechanisms.

“Technology should serve as an enabler of service delivery, not a source of frustration.

“To achieve this, we need to institutionalise ongoing capacity building on NYSC digital platforms, establish clear escalation channels for technical issues, conduct regular system audits and upgrades, and greatly minimize human intervention in automated processes,” he said.

Earlier, the Director Corps Mobilisation Department, Mrs. Rachel Idaewor, had explained that: “The NYSC Pre-Mobilization Workshop serves as a vital platform for fostering collaboration among the NYSC, CPIs, and other critical stakeholders.

“While we have made significant strides in enhancing our mobilization processes, it is clear that we need to focus on optimizing our service delivery across the mobilization value chain.

“This workshop’s theme, ‘Enhancing Service Delivery Across the NYSC Mobilisation Value Chain’, highlights our commitment to improving the processes that underpin our mobilisation strategy.

“We aim to explore innovative approaches that enhance service delivery and address the challenges that we currently face. Maintaining high standards in service delivery is not solely an operational challenge; it impacts the trust and confidence of all stakeholders involved,” Idaewor said.