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Comparative International Analysis — Why Successful Countries Avoid Similar Schemes
The NYSC remains one of Nigeria’s most entrenched post-war institutions, predicated on the idea that mandating one year of national service for graduates will unify a divided country, promote economic contribution, and inculcate civic responsibility. Yet, after more than five decades, this compulsory scheme increasingly appears not just outdated but fundamentally misaligned with global best practices. In fact, some of the world’s most advanced nations, those that consistently rank high in youth development indices, have thrived without enforcing mandatory national service on their young citizens. The comparison is as revealing as it is damning.
Rather than relying on compulsion, countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Japan have adopted models that invest in voluntary youth engagement, skills-based empowerment, and systemic policy support. These countries recognize that autonomy, not coercion, is the foundation of meaningful service and national development.
In the United States, for example, the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps have built a culture of voluntary service that appeals to young people through a combination of moral incentives and tangible benefits such as scholarships, living stipends, and long-term career pipelines. AmeriCorps alone deploys over 75,000 young Americans annually to address pressing national needs from disaster response to education reform without threatening them with exclusion from the job market if they decline to serve. Similarly, the Peace Corps’ Youth in Development program focuses on social, economic, and civic growth through collaborative, rather than prescriptive, models (National Youth Service Corps, 2025; Inside Success Nigeria, 2025).
Canada’s youth development strategy takes a holistic, integrated approach. Through the Canada Service Corps, the government funds community-based projects and provides financial stipends and recognition for participants, not as a requirement, but as an incentive. Their youth policy framework emphasizes participation in governance, equitable access to employment, and mental well-being. No Canadian youth is told, “Serve or be sidelined.” Yet, their civic involvement statistics far outstrip Nigeria’s, where forced postings often result in resentment rather than engagement (Odigbo, 2023; Federal Ministry of Health, 2023).
The United Kingdom provides another compelling counter-model. The National Citizen Service (NCS) program encourages 16- to 17-year-olds to engage in volunteerism and community building, but crucially, participation is entirely optional. In its first ten years, NCS engaged over 600,000 youth across England and Wales, leading to measurable improvements in self-esteem, teamwork, and community awareness. What’s more, an independent evaluation found that for every £1 invested, the program returned over £3 in social value. These are the kinds of returns Nigeria hoped to realize through NYSC—but without the resentment and inefficiencies bred by compulsion (Blueprint, 2025; Okafor and Nweke, 2023).
Germany offers a sophisticated template in international youth cooperation. Instead of mandating national service, Germany invests in bilateral and multilateral youth exchange programs across the EU and beyond. These programs prioritize intercultural learning, innovation, and shared social problem-solving. Participants, typically between 18 and 30 years of age, opt in because the programs offer genuine developmental value—new skills, global exposure, and collaborative networks. The outcomes are powerful: improved social cohesion, global awareness, and employability—all without the bureaucratic drag or trauma reported by many NYSC participants (Emorinken et al., 2022; Nwachukwu et al., 2022).
Even Japan, a society known for its rigorous social expectations, does not mandate youth service. Instead, it channels youth energies into education, technical apprenticeships, and early career development. Japanese youth policies prioritize mental health, creativity, and economic productivity. National unity and civic loyalty are cultivated through systems that respect personal choice, not blanket enforcement. In stark contrast, Nigerian corps members are routinely deployed into roles misaligned with their training, suffer from poor welfare, and in some tragic cases, face life-threatening conditions—yet the state persists in calling this “service” (Premium Times, 2023; Punch, 2024; ThisDay Live, 2024).
What makes these countries successful is not simply the absence of compulsory service, but the presence of purposeful, supportive systems. In Germany, the youth unemployment rate stands at 5.8%, in Canada at 9.3%, and in Japan at a remarkable 4.3%. Nigeria, by comparison, has youth unemployment and underemployment figures exceeding 40%, yet still mandates a program that disrupts the career paths of thousands annually with no systemic post-service absorption strategy (National Youth Service Corps, 2023; Crisis Group, 2024).
Read also: Beyond NYSC: Why Nigeria Must End Youth Service—Part 10
Nigerian experts have highlighted issues with the NYSC’s SAED program. Vanguard News (2024) called for comprehensive reform, stating it is economically inefficient and out of touch with market needs. Okoli and Udoh (2023) reported that only 18% of corps members who completed the training were able to turn their skills into income within a year. Additionally, those in conflict-prone areas experience high stress and fear, which hampers national pride (The Guardian Nigeria, 2024; Inside Success Nigeria, 2025).
Evidence shows that voluntary, well-structured youth programs better achieve national development goals compared to mandatory, poorly managed service schemes. While Nigeria sees the NYSC as a relic from its post-war era, other countries are advancing by investing in human capital through respect, flexibility, and strategic innovation.
Reforming or replacing NYSC with an incentive-based, optional youth development framework aligns with its founding ideals and is a progression of them. As the global landscape becomes more competitive and knowledge-driven, Nigeria has to ensure its youth are not caught in bureaucratic processes. It should follow the example of other nations by trusting its youth, investing in their decisions, and enabling them to contribute to the country’s development voluntarily.
References
Blueprint, 2025. NYSC to deepen impact of skill acquisition on corps members. [online] Blueprint.ng. Available at: https://blueprint.ng/nysc-to-deepen-impact-of-skill-acquisition-on-corps-members/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Crisis Group, 2024. Nigeria. [online] International Crisis Group. Available at: https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/nigeria [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Emorinken, A., Aikhuomogbe, O., Eigbe, B., Usman, S. and Isuekebhor, C., 2022. Morbidity patterns in NYSC orientation camps. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health.
Federal Ministry of Health, 2023. NTBLCP Annual Report. [pdf] Abuja: National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme. Available at: https://ntblcp.org.ng/content/uploads/2025/02/NTBLCP-2023-Annual-Report-wecompress.com_.pdf [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Inside Success Nigeria, 2025. The Untold Ultimate Mental Health Crisis of NYSC Corps Members. [online] Available at: https://insidesuccessnigeria.com/the-untold-ultimate-mental-health-crisis-of-nysc-corps-members/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
National Youth Service Corps, 2023. Annual Report. [pdf] Abuja: NYSC Directorate. Available at: https://www.nysc.gov.ng/downloads/report.pdf [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
National Youth Service Corps, 2025. SAED Programme Overview. [online] Available at: https://www.nysc.gov.ng/saed.html [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Nwachukwu, C.E., Chiroma, G.B., Okoye, C.F. and Olufunmilayo, E.O., 2022. Perception of NYSC among corps medical doctors in Nigeria: A cross-sectional study. ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369266755 [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Odigbo, P.C., 2023. Impact of skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development on self-employment intentions of NYSC corps members in Nigeria. Academia.edu. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/84571518 [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
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Punch, 2024. NYSC: Corps members lament poor camp conditions, demand reform. [online] Punch Newspapers. Available at: https://punchng.com/nysc-corps-members-lament-camp-conditions/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
The Guardian Nigeria, 2024. Experts urge FG to re-engineer NYSC as cases of corps member suicide increase. [online] Available at: https://guardian.ng/news/experts-urge-fg-to-reengineer-nysc/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
ThisDay Live, 2024. Corps members face rising mental health concerns, say NYSC must improve. [online] Available at: https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2024/03/01/corps-members-face-rising-mental-health-concerns/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Vanguard News, 2024. NYSC skills training must be rethought – Analysts warn on economic waste. [online] Vanguard. Available at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/02/nysc-skills-training-must-be-rethought-analysts/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
