25,000 Nigerian Graduates Still Await NYSC Mobilisation Seven Years After – NANS

More than 25,000 Nigerian graduates who studied in universities across the Republic of Niger are still barred from the National Youth Service Corps seven years after finishing their programmes.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) broke the silence on the matter, describing it as a clear case of stalled futures for thousands of young Nigerians. NANS President Abubakar Muhammad Uwaisu addressed journalists in Abuja and insisted the graduates had met every requirement, including clearance from the Federal Ministry of Education and proper registration with the NYSC.

Uwaisu stressed that these were not unqualified or illegal students. “They are Nigerians who studied in recognised and accredited universities in the Republic of Niger, complied with every requirement, obtained clearance from the Federal Ministry of Education, and registered with the National Youth Service Corps in good faith,” he said.

Many of the affected young men and women now face serious career blocks. Public and private sector jobs in Nigeria demand NYSC discharge certificates, leaving the graduates in financial hardship and growing frustration.

Uwaisu did not mince words. “This is no longer just an administrative delay; this is institutional injustice,” he declared. He pointed to repeated false petitions and misleading letters supposedly from unregistered groups in Niger, which the Nigerien government has officially disowned.

NaijaChoice News reports that the Niger Republic has maintained all official communications must pass through diplomatic channels, yet the mobilisation process remains frozen. Uwaisu warned that prolonging the impasse could trigger unnecessary diplomatic friction between the two neighbouring countries.

The situation is particularly painful for families in northern Nigeria, where studying in Niger has long been a cheaper and culturally familiar option for many students. Yet without NYSC, these graduates cannot secure stable employment or move forward with their lives.

NANS has urged the Federal Government to order an immediate verification of all credentials and fast-track the mobilisation of the affected graduates. Until that happens, thousands of qualified Nigerians remain trapped in a system that should have served them years ago.