NYSC – National Youths Service Corps

The National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) is a federal government program established in Nigeria to promote national unity and development among the Youth of Nigeria. General Yakubu Gowon established the National Youths Service Corps in 1973 to rebuild the country after the Nigerian Civil War and foster national unity and integration among young graduates.

Since its inception, the NYSC has become an important part of the lives of many young Nigerians. The National Youths Service Corps provides a platform for young graduates to serve their country by participating in a one-year mandatory national service program. NYSC aims to teach in its participants the spirit of patriotism and nationalism, as well as provide them with opportunities to develop their skills and acquire new ones.

The NYSC Program

The National Youths Service Corps program is a one-year mandatory service for all young graduates in Nigeria who have completed their tertiary education.

All Participants will complete the program within a year and they all have the opportunity to serve in different parts of the country.

The National Youths Service Corps program provides young graduates with the opportunity to gain practical experience in various fields, including education, health, agriculture, and local government administration.

All Nigerian citizens who graduated below the age of 30 must participate. All Nigerian citizens who travel abroad to study must also participate in the NYSC Program.

3 Phases Of NYSC

The official National Youths Service Corps program is in three stages. The mobilization, orientation, and the primary assignment stage.

Mobilization

During the mobilization stage, graduates will undergo a series of mobilization processes like the senate list verification, jamb matriculation list confirmation, and, most importantly, online registration.

After the online registration, the NYSC Portal will close, and the next thing is the release of the Call-up letter for prospective corps members to know their deployment state.

This leads us to the second stage, the Orientation camp stage.

Orientation Camp

The Orientation camp always begins on a specific date that will be on the call-up letter. This is the most interesting part of the National Youths Service Corps scheme.

The duration of the Orientation camp is 21 days. Corps Members will all be at a heavily secured place, where they will spend the 21 days.

Free accommodation, free feeding, and a series of amazing activities will happen at the Orientation camp. SAED is about skill acquisition, there will be sports, competitions, carnivals, burn fire night, man-o-war drilling, and other fun and educative programs.

After 21 days, the Orientation camp will end, and Every Corps member will collect their PPA letter. PPA stands for a place of primary assignment, which is the next National Youths Service Corps program stage.

Place Of Primary Assignment

The primary place of assignment phase involves the deployment of Corps Members to a particular company, organization, or private firm, where they will spend the next 11 months of the NYSC service.

Most Corps Members will go to schools, and others will go to companies, government organizations, and other private firms.


During this PPA stage, there will be CDS and clearance. The CDS is a community development service, and it’s once a weekly meeting. The purpose is to contribute to the community in one way or the other. You will belong to a CDS group after your documentation at the local government.

The clearance is a once-in-a-month exercise where you will thumbprint at the local government for NYSC to clear you for the month.

Those are the 3 stages of the National Youths Service Corps program, and they are very important to the scheme.

After 11 months at the place of primary assignment, the next big thing is the passing out parade. This is when you will collect the NYSC certificate and bid farewell to NYSC.

If you wish to read more, especially about the official mission, vision, and objectives, you can click here to read directly from the official website.

The National Youths Service Corps is an important program that provides young graduates the opportunity to serve their country and gain valuable experience in their fields.

Below are frequently asked questions with their answers.

What is the main purpose of NYSC?

The original and main purpose of NYSC is to promote national unity. After the civil war, there was a great need to unite the country, and NYSC existed to fulfill that purpose.

What does NYSC mean in Nigeria?

The NYSC is the National Youth Service Corps, and it’s a mandatory program for every graduate who is a citizen of Nigeria including those that studied abroad.

How many months is NYSC?

12 months Is the official duration. One month for the Orientation Camp and 11 months for the place of primary assignment. After 12 months, you will pass out of the program, and fresh graduates will move in.

What are the requirements for NYSC?

The only requirement for National Youths Service Corps is that you must graduate from a tertiary institution in Nigeria or abroad.

Is NYSC 12 or 13 months?

The NYSC official duration is 12 months. 1 month at the Orientation camp and 11 months at the place of primary assignment. So it is 12 months altogether.

How many times is NYSC in a year?

NYSC mobilizes 3 batches in a year. Batch A, B, and C. Each batch has 2 streams. The date for the mobilization of the three batches depends on the management.

What is the maximum age for NYSC?

29 years old is the maximum age for NYSC in Nigeria. To participate in the program, you must graduate before you are 30 years old.

Once you graduate at 30, you will not be able to partake in National Youths Service Corps You will, however, get an exemption letter equivalent to the NYSC certificate.

How much is NYSC salary?

As of 2023, the National Youths Service Corps federal allowance is 33k. So at the end of the month, you will get 33k in your bank account from the Federal government.

Is NYSC now 13 months?

No! NYSC program is just 12 months. 1 month for the Orientation Camp and 11 months for the place of primary assignment.

Do NYSC Post corpers to bank?

Yes. But not all banks and not every Corps members get such a chance. The National Youths Service Corps might post Corps Members to banks if the bank request for it.

What are the benefits of NYSC?

There are a lot of benefits, and I’m just going to list some of them.

  • It promotes unity in Nigeria.
  • Also serves as a work experience.
  • It’s a platform to build yourself.
  • You will get to experience other tribes
  • You will have time to plan for what next
  • It reduces the rush to the labour market

You can get many benefits from the National Youths Service Corps, and it just depends on how you use the period.

How many absences are allowed in NYSC?

The National Youths Service Corps scheme did not allow any absences. The program is under the military, and to be absent is not the military way.

For every clearance you missed, you will answer for it.

Which state pays NYSC Corpers more?

This will be hard to answer specifically because all states have no fixed amount. I think Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu are on the top list.

Can I work during NYSC?

Yes, you can, if it does not disturb the official primary assignment. During the program, you can combine a side hustle, a little job, and the like.

Which date of birth does NYSC use?

Your Jamb date of birth. Once the registration portal is Open, the first step is to put in your jamb registration number, and the National Youths Service Corps system will use that reg number to pull out your details.

The details will then be on your NYSC dashboard while you add more bio. If your date of birth is wrong, you will have a chance to apply for Correction.

Can a married woman go for NYSC?

Yes. Married women can go for NYSC, and they are participating in the program. The National Youths Service Corps always deploy all married female Corps Members to their husband state and local government of residence.

Don’t be scared if you are married and want to do NYSC. They will not post you far from your husband.

How can I get a job after NYSC?

You have to search for it. Tell family members that you are through with the National Youths Service Corps, look out online for job opportunities, take more professional courses, pitch some companies, and may God help you.

Which bank does NYSC use?

When you get to camp, NYSC will split you into different banks with your call-up number. You will then register with that bank, and that is where your NYSC allowance will be dropping. Nysc almost all major banks for this.

Can you leave NYSC camp?

Yes, you can, but only if you have a medical report or are sick. The National Youths Service Corps will not keep you in camp if you have some health issues. They will allow you to exit the camp and take care of yourself.

Pregnant women and nursing mothers, too, will leave the camp because no camp suits their condition.

Apart from those reasons, you cannot leave camp.

I believe you now know everything there is about the National Youths Service Corps program. If you have any questions, kindly use the comment box below.

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