Minister Recommends Later Drill Time for NYSC Corps Members at Orientation Camps

The Minister of State for Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, has appealed to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to amend its daily drill schedule during orientation programmes by starting activities later in the morning.

Olawande made the recommendation during his keynote address at the 2025 NYSC Annual Management Conference held in Abuja. The conference was themed “Transforming the NYSC Scheme to Meet the Yearnings of the Contemporary Nigerian Graduates and Society.”

According to the minister, corps members should not be required to begin physical drills as early as 4:00 am. He suggested that a 7:00 am start time would be more appropriate and beneficial to the overall well-being and mental performance of participants.

“The NYSC members should be allowed to start their drilling by 7:00 am and not 4:00 am,” he said. “Is drilling the purpose for us to do things? Of what purpose is drilling to us? We are not saying drilling should not be there. Drilling should be there. But we talk about unity in diversity. We are bringing them together in unity, and that is the major purpose.”

Olawande stressed the importance of proper rest, noting that corps members who are well-rested can contribute more meaningfully to discussions, learning, and creative problem-solving during the orientation.

“When you are active, when you are doing research, when you are doing things differently, when you are making up in life and all that within three weeks, how can you be lazy? You can’t be lazy,” he noted.

The minister also pointed to the need for structural reform within the NYSC scheme, saying, “Since when we’ve been drilling, are we viable in the job market? We can’t continue to be putting people out every year, 480,000 [every year] and no improvement.”

His comments reflect a broader government effort to re-evaluate the relevance of NYSC activities and ensure they meet the changing needs of young Nigerian graduates.