The NYSC - the National Youth Service Corps - is a year of national service that Nigerian graduates complete after university or polytechnic, under the National Youth Service Corps Act. It was set up in 1973, after the civil war, to send young graduates to work in parts of the country other than their own.
It is not optional for those it covers, and its certificate follows you into every job application afterwards.
Who has to serve
- Full-time graduates of Nigerian universities and polytechnics (HND), who graduate before the age of 30.
- Nigerians who graduated abroad, on the same terms, after their certificates have been verified.
Who does not:
- Graduates aged 30 or over at graduation receive an exemption certificate instead. Age is counted at the date of graduation, not of registration.
- Some who have served in the armed forces, the police or the security services may be exempted.
- Part-time and distance-learning graduates are not mobilised, and receive a letter of exclusion.
Why the certificate matters
Employers ask graduates for their discharge certificate - or their exemption certificate or exclusion letter - before hiring, and the public sector insists on it. Without one of the three, a Nigerian graduate will struggle to be employed in Nigeria.
Do not fake it. A forged NYSC certificate is a crime, and the service keeps records. A federal minister resigned in 2018 over a forged exemption certificate.
How the year runs
- Registration. Your institution sends your name to the NYSC, and you register on the NYSC portal.
- Call-up. Your call-up letter tells you which state you are posted to - usually not your own.
- Orientation camp. About 3 weeks in the state’s camp: drills, lectures, skills training and the swearing of the oath. You are now a corps member, or a corper.
- Your place of primary assignment (PPA) - a school, a company, a ministry or an agency where you work for the rest of the year.
- Community development service (CDS) - one day a week with a group on a community project.
- Monthly clearance at your local government office, which is how your allowance keeps being paid.
- Passing out, at the end of the year, and the discharge certificate.
Money
Corps members are paid a monthly federal allowance - known as allawee - which was raised in line with the national minimum wage, and has been paid late before. Many PPAs, particularly private companies, add a stipend of their own. In Lagos, the allowance alone will not cover rent and transport; plan for that before you arrive.
Serving in Lagos
- The Lagos orientation camp is at Iyana-Ipaja.
- Your PPA decides your year. A PPA on the Island and a room on the Mainland is two long commutes a day. Look for somewhere to live near it; see neighbourhoods.
- A PPA can reject you, in which case you are reposted. A company that likes you may retain you after the year, which is how many Lagos careers start.
- Relocation to another state is possible on limited grounds, such as health or marriage, with evidence.
Staying safe
Corps members travel a great deal, often to places they do not know. Travel by day, use registered transport from proper motor parks, and tell someone your route.