The South East Coalition for Good Governance (SECG) has urged the Federal Government to urgently review the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme after 19 corps members were abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State on Independence Day.
In a statement in Enugu and signed by its Publicity Secretary, Uche Offor, the group said corps members are increasingly exposed to insecurity, particularly when travelling between states for their mandatory service.
“When the NYSC was formulated, the level of insecurity in Nigeria was not what it is today. Corps members moved freely and travelled across the country without the level of danger they now face,” SECG said.
The coalition cited reported abductions of corps members and prospective corps members in different parts of the country since 2023, as well as deaths and injuries from road crashes and the poor condition of major highways. It said it was no longer reasonable to expose young Nigerians to such risks while they fulfil a compulsory national obligation.
“It is improper to expose corps members to the dangers of kidnappers, bandits and unsafe roads simply because they are participating in a national service programme,” the group said. “The NYSC programme is increasingly becoming a threat to the lives of corps members, and the risks are beginning to outweigh the gains.”
SECG added that the insecurity compounds the hardships young Nigerians already face, from inadequate facilities in tertiary institutions to limited job prospects after service.
“These young Nigerians should not have to endure poor educational conditions, risk abduction during national service and then return to an economy where opportunities are limited,” it said.
The coalition called on the government to carry out a fundamental review of the scheme and decide whether its compulsory structure remains appropriate under current security conditions. It said the programme should be scrapped entirely if the government cannot guarantee participants’ safety, stressing that “the nation is too insecure to continue risking the lives of young Nigerians in the name of national service.”
