President Bola Tinubu Approves Additional 50,000 Slots for NYSC Mobilisation in 2026
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the mobilisation of an additional 50,000 graduates for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 2026, in a move aimed at addressing the growing backlog of Nigerian graduates awaiting national service.
The approval was disclosed by the Director-General of the NYSC, Olakunle Nafiu, during an event at the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters in Abuja. The event marked his first year in office and the commissioning of a newly renovated clinic within the secretariat.
According to Nafiu, the additional mobilisation slots were captured in the 2026 national budget following concerns raised by graduates across the country about the long waiting period before being deployed for the mandatory one-year national service.
He explained that the decision by the federal government is part of efforts to accommodate the rising number of graduates produced by Nigerian higher institutions each year. With the new approval, the NYSC is expected to mobilise approximately 418,000 corps members in 2026, representing a significant increase in the scheme’s annual intake.
Nafiu noted that when the NYSC scheme was established in 1973, only 2,364 corps members were mobilised in the first batch due to the relatively small number of universities and tertiary institutions at the time. Today, however, Nigeria has more than 400 corps-producing institutions, collectively producing hundreds of thousands of graduates annually, which has placed increasing pressure on the mobilisation system.
He further clarified that not all graduates are mobilised immediately after graduation because some receive exemption certificates, while certain professionals such as medical doctors and lawyers are required to complete additional training before joining the scheme.
The NYSC leadership also reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety of corps members by prioritising deployment to relatively secure locations across the country.
The latest approval is expected to significantly reduce the waiting time for thousands of Nigerian graduates who have been in the mobilisation queue.
