The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged Corps Producing Institutions across the country to strengthen their internal data validation mechanisms to sustain the credibility of the mobilisation process.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, made the call at the 2026 Batch ‘A’ Pre-Mobilisation Workshop held on Monday in Abuja.
The workshop had the theme “Enhancing Service Delivery Across the NYSC Mobilisation Value Chain.”
In a statement issued in Abuja by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, the DG stressed the need for heads of institutions to exercise greater oversight over mobilisation activities, while Desk Officers should undergo regular training to keep pace with evolving standards and technologies.
Nafiu reaffirmed the Scheme’s commitment to its Standard Operating Procedures, improved collaboration across departments, area offices and state secretariats, enhanced performance monitoring and evaluation, as well as the reinforcement of discipline, professionalism and ethical conduct at all levels.
He also called for stronger inter-agency collaboration, regular stakeholder review meetings and increased commitment to data driven decision making guided by clearly defined timelines and responsibilities.
While assuring that NYSC management remained committed to discharging its responsibilities with patriotism and integrity, the DG 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,” he said.
Nafiu described the mobilisation process as a complex ecosystem involving the production, validation, mobilisation, deployment and management of Prospective Corps Members (PCMs).
He acknowledged the progress made in digital mobilisation but identified lingering challenges, including poor data quality at source, limited technical skills among some system operators, resistance to full automation and inadequate feedback mechanisms.
The DG further decried violations of established guidelines such as the upload of unqualified graduates, inconsistent academic records, data discrepancies, deliberate record manipulation for personal or illegal gains, and weak internal verification systems, noting that these undermine the integrity of the mobilisation process.
He warned Corps Producing Institutions against fraudulent mobilisation of graduates for national service, stressing that sanctions would be applied to erring 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, ensuring that information submitted accurately reflected the profiles of Prospective Corps Members.
She highlighted the importance of partnerships with key stakeholders such as the Federal Ministry of Education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Universities Commission (NUC) and SIDMACH Technologies, calling for greater synergy among all parties.
Participants at the workshop included Student Affairs Officers from all Corps Producing Institutions nationwide, as well as representatives of the National Universities Commission and SIDMACH Technologies, among others.
