 has urged Corps Producing Institutions across the country to strengthen their internal data validation mechanisms as part of efforts to sustain the credibility of the mobilisation process.){kind=link}
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged Corps Producing Institutions across the country to strengthen their internal data validation mechanisms as part of efforts to sustain the credibility of the mobilisation process.
The Director-General (DG) of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, made the call while addressing participants at the 2026 Batch ‘A’ Pre-Mobilisation Workshop held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. The workshop had the theme: “Enhancing Service Delivery Across the NYSC Mobilisation Value Chain.”
He stressed the need for heads of institutions to exercise greater oversight over mobilisation activities within their jurisdictions and for Desk Officers to undergo regular training to keep them abreast of evolving standards and technologies.
The DG reaffirmed the Scheme’s commitment to its Standard Operating Procedures, strengthening collaboration across Departments, Area Offices and State Secretariats, improving performance monitoring and evaluation, as well as reinforcing discipline, professionalism and ethical conduct at all levels.
Nafiu called for stronger inter-agency collaboration, regular stakeholder review meetings and greater commitment to data-driven decision-making, guided by clearly defined timelines and responsibilities.
While assuring that the NYSC management remained committed to discharging its responsibilities with patriotism and integrity, he urged all stakeholders to continue working with the Scheme towards excellence.
“As we look ahead, the NYSC mobilisation process must be repositioned to be efficient, transparent, accountable, and people-focused.
“This involves delivering timely and accurate results, free from undue influence, with clear accountability for actions and inactions, while remaining responsive to the needs of Prospective Corps Members and other stakeholders.
“Improving service delivery throughout the mobilisation value chain is, therefore, not optional; it is both imperative and urgent,” he said.
The DG explained that the mobilisation process was a complex ecosystem of interconnected actors and systems, covering the production, validation, mobilisation, deployment and management of Prospective Corps Members (PCMs).
He noted that while the Scheme had recorded significant progress in digital mobilisation, it still faced challenges such as poor data quality at the source, limited technical skills among some system operators, resistance to full automation and inadequate feedback mechanisms.
Nafiu identified violations of established guidelines, upload of unqualified graduates, inconsistent academic records, data discrepancies, deliberate record manipulation for personal or illegal gains, and weak internal verification systems as practices that undermined the integrity of the mobilisation process.
He therefore warned Corps Producing Institutions against fraudulent mobilisation of graduates for national service, adding that the Scheme would apply sanctions against defaulting institutions.
Earlier, in her welcome address, the Director of the Corps Mobilisation Department, Mrs. Rachel Idaewor, urged Student Affairs Officers (SAOs) to discharge their duties with diligence and integrity.
She tasked them to ensure that the information they provided accurately reflected the true profiles of their Prospective Corps Members.
Idaewor described the Scheme’s partnerships with critical stakeholders in the mobilisation process such as the Federal Ministry of Education, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, the National Board for Technical Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC) and SIDMACH Technologies as invaluable, adding:
“We should all come together as a cohesive team, drawing inspiration from our past successes while embracing the challenges that lie ahead.”
Participants at the workshop included Student Affairs Officers from all Corps Producing Institutions in Nigeria, as well as representatives of the National Universities Commission and SIDMACH Technologies, among others