The Director-General of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has restated his commitment to reforms for enhanced service delivery and alignment of the scheme’s operations with contemporary realities.

A statement on Monday signed by Caroline Embu, the NYSC Director of Information and Public Relations, quoted DG Nafiu as stating this at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Annual Management Conference (AMC) of the Scheme, which took place in Jos, the Plateau State Capital.

The theme was: “NYSC as a Catalyst For National Development; Tackling Present Challenges and Charting Sustainable Solutions”.

While acknowledging the continued efforts of the Federal Government to improve the NYSC, Brigadier General Nafiu reminded the NYSC managers that Nigeria expected the best from them, adding that they should sustain the confidence of the government, Corps Members, their parents and other stakeholders in their ability to deliver on the mandate of the scheme.

Nafiu said: “Our internal review of the past year has clearly shown that we must continue to embrace change and ensure sustainable growth.

“Having matured, the Scheme is now positioned to move beyond symbolic nation-building towards more direct and measurable contributions to national development.”

While declaring the conference open, Plateau State Governor, Barrister Caleb Muftwang, commended the NYSC managers for sustaining the vision of its founding fathers, adding that since the Scheme was established in 1973, it had grown to perform strategic roles in the nation’s stride towards development.

Muftwang, who was represented by his Deputy, Josephine Piyo, lauded the contributions of the scheme to national unity and socio-economic development, especially in the areas of education, health, rural infrastructural development, sports, as well as empowerment of Corps members for self-employment through the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship (SAED) programme, amongst others.

“I, therefore, use this opportunity to urge the NYSC Management not to rest on its oars as there remains a lot to be done in the provision of relevant skills to the Corps Members.

“Let me appeal to stakeholders at all levels to join hands with the NYSC in this great march towards sustainable youth empowerment,” he said.

Governor Muftwang said his administration had commenced the renovation of facilities at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Mangu, in addition to the release of several hectares of land for agricultural purposes to facilitate the Scheme’s contribution to the national efforts at ensuring sufficiency in food production.

In his goodwill message, the Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, commended the Management and Staff of the NYSC for their commitment to youth development, adding that Nigeria had recorded many achievements through various interventions from the Scheme.

“Let the NYSC Managers share experiences, introduce fresh ideas that will improve the impact of the NYSC, and take advantage of technical effectiveness to improve service delivery,” he said.

The NYSC Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr Nura Umar, said the conference was a veritable platform for NYSC Managers to review the activities of the Scheme, assess its performances, identify gaps and challenges, and collectively proffer sustainable solutions for improved operations.