The Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has strongly refuted claims that he suggested extending the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme to two years.
This follows a report that circulated over the weekend, sparking widespread debate on social media about the future of the NYSC program.
During a recent visit from the new NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, Alausa expressed his support for enhancing the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) program to foster job creation and skill-building among young Nigerians.
The suggestion, however, was misinterpreted by some as a proposal to lengthen the service year.
“Let NYSC give young Nigerians more opportunities to become job creators. With a longer service year, we can make the SAED program more effective,” Alausa had remarked last week, igniting rumors of a one-year extension to the NYSC.
Clarifying the situation on April 8, 2025, at a convocation lecture at Lagos State University, Alausa made it clear that he was misquoted. “I never said that the youth service should be extended to two years,” he affirmed, stressing that his comments had been misunderstood.
READ ALSO: New NYSC Reforms Aim to Make Graduates Workforce-Ready
The minister explained that his actual proposal was to address the teacher shortage in rural areas, suggesting the creation of a voluntary teacher corps for graduates of National Colleges of Education.
This corps, he said, could deploy teachers to underserved areas for a two-year period.
“Many graduates from National Colleges of Education are finding it difficult to secure employment, and rural areas, in particular, suffer from a lack of qualified teachers, especially in core subjects like mathematics, science, and English,” Alausa elaborated.
In addition, Alausa mentioned that the government is currently reviewing the status of teachers employed by Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) in federal unity schools, with plans to integrate qualified PTA teachers into the civil service.
This clarification comes amid ongoing discussions about the future direction of the NYSC program and the broader employment landscape for Nigerian youth.