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Exploitation and Abuse – Labor Without Rights
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), though enshrined as a national institution for civic engagement and unity, continues to function in a paradox, mandating compulsory service from Nigerian graduates while offering little protection for their welfare, dignity, or rights. Under the sheen of patriotism and “nation-building,” the program routinely places corps members in exploitative environments, where they are overworked, underpaid, inadequately housed, and sometimes medically neglected. These young graduates are celebrated on paper but treated as expendable in practice.
In the name of bridging education with national development, many corps members are posted to sectors, particularly education and healthcare, where they serve not as temporary assistants but as the primary workforce. Ehigbor (2023) documented widespread cases where NYSC members, posted as ad-hoc teachers, were expected to manage full classroom responsibilities without proper pedagogical training, often under deplorable conditions. In schools plagued by understaffing and dilapidated infrastructure, corps members find themselves assuming roles meant for qualified professionals, with no support and minimal remuneration. These deployments mirror forced labor, thinly veiled under civic obligation.
The living conditions within NYSC orientation camps, as well as at many primary assignments, are far from adequate. Emorinken et al. (2022) highlighted a disturbing morbidity pattern among corps members in NYSC camps, identifying malaria, respiratory infections, and gastrointestinal diseases as rampant. Overcrowded hostels, poor hygiene, and insufficient access to medical care contribute significantly to this trend. Odega and Mofolorunsho (2020) further confirmed the prevalence of ailments such as chronic fatigue, headaches, and dehydration—conditions directly linked to unsanitary environments and lack of rest in camp settings.
Beyond physical health, the psychological burden on corps members has reached alarming levels. Amoko et al. (2021) found that approximately 50% of NYSC members in North-Western Nigeria showed symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety. Similarly, Nwajei et al. (2021), in a nationwide study, reported that 57.2% of recent graduates screened positive for depressive symptoms. These mental health issues are not coincidental—they stem from uncertainty about their safety, the strain of adapting to unfamiliar environments, and the pressure to meet unrealistic institutional expectations with no support systems in place.
One of the most disappointing aspects of the NYSC experience is the chronic underperformance of its signature entrepreneurship initiative—SAED (Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development). Initially introduced to empower corps members with business skills, the program has been poorly executed. Deebom and Tambari (2020) observed that SAED sessions in Rivers State were mostly theoretical, lacked practical engagement, and were devoid of post-training funding or mentorship. Olofinyehun et al. (2023) echo this finding, pointing out that while entrepreneurship remains a critical pathway to tackle youth unemployment, NYSC’s intervention has fallen short in both delivery and results.
The issue of equity also persists within the NYSC framework. Graduates of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions continue to face discrimination, as they are often excluded from the program altogether. Ahimie et al. (2024) reported that this exclusion not only denies these graduates equal opportunity for civic service, but also implicitly delegitimizes their academic qualifications. The situation is similarly discriminatory for theology students, whose exclusion from NYSC was condemned by Ottuh (2021) as unethical and legally questionable.
Female corps members, too, face systemic neglect. While women make up nearly half the NYSC population, their specific health needs are rarely accounted for. Omunakwe and Odeyemi (2023) found a severe lack of awareness and access to preconception and reproductive health services among female corps members. This omission can have long-term health consequences, especially for young women in rural areas with no access to modern healthcare facilities.
Despite these failures, NYSC continues to function with a lack of structural accountability. The program lacks effective feedback mechanisms, transparent monitoring, or grievance redress systems. Corps members who face abuse at their places of primary assignment; be it verbal assault, overwork, sexual harassment, or denial of stipends, often have no reliable channel to report incidents or seek redress.
What is most damning, however, is that NYSC offers no real labor protection for its members. Oboreh and Emmanuel (2020) argue that while NYSC claims to offer work experience, it fails to recognize corps members as actual contributors to national productivity. They receive neither job security nor post-service integration support. As such, their creativity and intellectual capital are routinely exploited with no reciprocal investment in their future.
Umar, Okafor and Nweke (2022) noted in their Abuja-based study that while some skill acquisition initiatives led to job creation, success stories were the exception, not the rule. In most cases, the absence of capital support and business incubation rendered the training ineffective. Muogbo, Eze and Obananya (2021) similarly concluded that without structured follow-up or industry linkage, NYSC’s skill acquisition efforts were little more than ceremonial.
Read also: Beyond NYSC: Why Nigeria Must End Youth Service—Part 5
Even the supposed community development aspect of the program has suffered. Okafor and Owolade (2023) observed that corps members are often used to execute government tasks or political errands under the guise of “community development service.” Real development, driven by corps members’ creativity and commitment, is rare and poorly supported.
In an era where youth unemployment exceeds 40%, where healthcare and education are crumbling, and where insecurity plagues every region of the country, one would expect NYSC to be reengineered to protect and empower its participants. Yet, it persists in a form that leans more toward exploitation than empowerment. Instead of being a bridge to opportunity, it becomes, for many, a corridor of hardship.
The time has come to ask: What national development is served by a system that extracts labor from young people without protecting their rights? What unity is forged through enforced hardship? If Nigeria must retain the NYSC, then it must also modernize it, rooting it in dignity, fairness, and genuine value creation. Anything less is a betrayal of the very ideals upon which the program was founded.
References
Ahimie, B., Kareem, A.A. & Okojide, A.C., 2024. Nigerian open and distance learning students and NYSC exclusion. Shodh Sari – International Multidisciplinary Journal. Available at: https://doi.org/10.59231/sari7662 [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Amoko, A., Yusuf, A.M., Danladi, R.M. & Bashir, A.A., 2021. Prevalence of anxiety symptoms among NYSC members in North-Western Nigeria. Research Journal of Health Sciences, 9(3), pp.218–226.
Amoo, S.O., 2022. Attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines among NYSC camp dwellers. GET Journal of Biosecurity and One Health, 2(1), pp.9–17.
Deebom, M. & Tambari, T.B., 2020. NYSC entrepreneurship programme and youth empowerment in Rivers State. International Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE), 7(6), pp.147–157.
Ehigbor, B.O., 2023. Assessment of practical teaching difficulties among NYSC members serving as ad-hoc teachers in secondary schools. International Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Science, 6(2), pp.72–85.
Emorinken, A., Aikhuomogbe, O., Eigbe, B., Usman, S. & Isuekebhor, C., 2022. Morbidity pattern at the National Youth Service Corp camps in Nigeria. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 9(7), pp.2944–2949. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20223196
Muogbo, U.S., Eze, S.U. & Obananya, C.G., 2021. Skill acquisition as a tool for solving youth restiveness: The role of NYSC. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Educational Research (IJMER), 3(4), pp.161–174.
Nwajei, A.P., Okonkwo, C., Salami, R. & Balogun, A., 2021. Screening for depression among recent Nigerian graduates. Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice, 24(10), pp.1385–1390.
Oboreh, J.S. & Emmanuel, A.O., 2020. Creativity and human capital development among NYSC graduates. Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal, 26(1), pp.1–11.
Odega, C.C. & Mofolorunsho, K.C., 2020. Prevalence of ailments in a youth camp in Southern Nigeria. Central African Journal of Public Health, 6(6), p.346.
Okafor, I., Sadiq, H. & Adebola, T., 2020. Innovation and employability of NYSC members for sustainable development. The New Educational Review, 61(3), pp.151–162.
Okafor, P. & Owolade, A., 2023. Appraisal of NYSC’s involvement in community development in Oyo State. American Journal of Public Policy and Administration, 8(1), pp.44–53.
Olofinyehun, A., Adeyeye, J., Egbetokun, A., Olomu, M., Oluwadare, J., Sanni, M. & Orisadare, M., 2023. Pooled dataset on NYSC’s entrepreneurship intervention. Research Data Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(1), pp.32–45. https://doi.org/10.1163/24523666-bja10031
Omunakwe, P.C. & Odeyemi, K.A., 2023. Knowledge and practice of preconception care among female corps members. Journal of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care, 35(1), pp.22–29.
Ottuh, J.A., 2021. Exclusion of theological graduates from NYSC in Nigeria: Ethical and legal implications. Societies Journal, 1(2), pp.34–41.
Owan, V.J., Emanghe, E.E., Akpan, S.M. & Ikutal, A., 2022. An evaluation of the three measurable cardinal objectives of the NYSC programme: A survey dataset. F1000Research, 11, p.652. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.122785.1
Umar, H., Okafor, I. & Nweke, O., 2022. Impact of NYSC skill acquisition on job creation in Abuja. European Journal of Human Resource Management Studies, 6(1), pp.44–59.
Olulana, O.D., 2020. The political economy of youth rights violations in Nigeria: A focus on NYSC practices. Covenant University Journal of Politics and International Affairs, 7(2), pp.101–117.
