Participation in NYSC soon to be fully optional — Reports

According to The Guardian which quoted a press release issued on Wednesday by the special adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the Director-General General of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) Brigadier-General Johnson Olawumi, told President Muhammadu Buhari that serving in the Corps will soon be fully voluntary.

READ: Buhari says NYSC should remain 'to promote integration'

Olawunmi reportedly made the revelation last Wednesday during a presidential briefing, informing the President the Corps is influenced by the increasing number of prospective Corp members and paucity of funds.

It is believed that making the scheme voluntary will cut down the number of participants and make it easier to manage the scheme easier.

The statement further stated that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Development, Rabi Jimeta, told Buhari that the NYSC has been unable to cater for corps members because of inadequate funds.

She told the President that the number of participants is expected to be as high as 300,000 in 5 years.

"Given the increasing number of tertiary institutions, our projection is that the number of corps participants may rise to 300,000 by year 2020," Jimeta said.

According to her, 229,016 corps members were enrolled in 2014.

Buhari spoke in favor of the continuous existence of the NYSC programme, stressing its importance as a tool for national unity.