Corps Members Now Eligible To Serve in Banks, Others As FG Lifts Ban

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Members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, can now be posted to private sector organizations, such as banks and oil and gas companies, after the federal government lifted the ban that limited their posting to the public sector.
Ayodele Olawande, the Minister for Youth Development, stated in a memo dated November 18, 2024, that the new policy directive will go into effect when the 2024 Batch “C” Orientation exercise begins.

Restricting corps members to just four economic sectors—education, agriculture, health, and infrastructure—was the previous policy put in place under former Youth and Sports Development Minister Bolaji Abdullahi. Its goal was to deter private companies from taking advantage of cheap labor while fostering the development of public sector capacity. According to Olawande, the new policy will initially be implemented in Lagos and Abuja and is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s strategy to address the issue of rising youth unemployment by ensuring that government agencies are in line with his administration’s vision. Noting that the previous policy prevented Nigerian youths from obtaining experiences that would prepare them for the future, he added that the new policy would also enable the corpers to obtain worthwhile experience in their chosen fields of study.

The memo read in parts, “There is an urgent need to review this policy to expand the opportunity and access for corps members to serve in places that are relevant to their areas of study. Without prejudice to the need to constantly review per prevailing realities, I now direct as follows: Lifting of all restrictions on postings. “Posting of corps members to, as much as practicable, be in line with their course of study. Posting of corps members to select banks and other private sector organisations, including those operating in oil and gas, to commence with Abuja and Lagos. The directive contained herein will take effect from the date of commencement of the 2024 Batch ‘C Orientation Course and applies in relation to any matter relating to the posting and distribution of corps members to Places of Primary Assignment. “The now revoked policy has greatly hampered experience gathering that would effectively prepare them for the job market.”