…urges states to expand orientation camps
The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has lamented the growing accommodation deficit in orientation camps across the country, attributing the challenge to the increasing number of graduates mobilised for national service.
Nafiu, who called on state governments to expand the capacity of existing orientation camps to accommodate at least 5,000 Corps members each, said the current facilities were no longer adequate to cater for the growing population of prospective Corps members.
He made the appeal while addressing Corps Members deployed to Lagos State for the 2026 Batch ‘C’ Stream II service year at the NYSC Temporary Orientation Camp, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos.
The NYSC Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
Nafiu explained that the Scheme previously mobilised about 100,000 graduates annually when most of the existing orientation camps were constructed, but the figure had increased to about 450,000 graduates annually.
“Before now, we used to mobilise about 100,000 graduates annually, and that was when most of the orientation camps in the country were built. Currently, however, we mobilise up to 450,000 graduates. This means that the population we have to cater for is far beyond the carrying capacities of the existing structures,” he said.
He attributed the increase to the growing number of tertiary institutions and graduates in the country, including Nigerians who obtained their qualifications from foreign institutions.
The DG, however, commended some state governments for ongoing efforts to address the accommodation challenges, particularly Lagos State, which is constructing a new permanent orientation camp with a capacity for 10,000 Corps Members.
According to him, the facility, upon completion, would address the accommodation challenges currently being experienced at the temporary camp in Iyana Ipaja.
He also disclosed that Adamawa, Gombe and Borno states were at advanced stages of delivering new orientation camps, while existing facilities in Sokoto, Kwara, Enugu, Osun and other states were undergoing extensive renovations.
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Nafiu further urged Corps Members to embrace national unity and integration, describing them as fundamental ideals upon which the NYSC was established in 1973.
He encouraged them to build lasting relationships across ethnic, religious and cultural divides, including exchanging telephone contacts with colleagues from different backgrounds.
The DG also urged the Corps Members to take advantage of the Scheme’s Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme to acquire vocational and entrepreneurial skills that would promote self-reliance.
He stressed the need for young graduates to develop multiple sources of income to remain financially stable amid prevailing economic challenges.
On security, Nafiu advised the Corps Members to remain vigilant, avoid travelling or moving in isolation, and keep their colleagues and Corps Liaison Officers informed about their movements.
Earlier, the Lagos State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Christiana Salmwang, disclosed that 11,155 Corps Members had been deployed to the state for the 2026 Batch ‘C’ service year.
However, she said only 4,380 were accommodated at the Iyana Ipaja Orientation Camp, while the remaining Corps Members were dislodged to neighbouring states, including Ogun, Oyo, Edo, Kwara and Delta, to undergo their orientation course due to the limited capacity of the Lagos camp.
She clarified that the affected Corps Members would return to Lagos for their primary assignments after completing the orientation exercise.
Salmwang commended the Lagos State Government for its continued support to the Scheme and commitment to the welfare of Corps Members.
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