Professor Idris Bugaje, Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, has attributed delays in NYSC mobilisation to compliance issues and violations of academic procedures by some institutions, noting that students who proceed to HND programmes without completing the mandatory one year Industrial Training required after the National Diploma may face difficulties.
"If a student proceeds to HND without completing the mandatory one year Industrial Training, the NYSC will not mobilise that student because the academic progression is incomplete. Mobilisation depends largely on the timely and accurate uploading of students' records by institutions," Bugaje stated through the board's NYSC Desk Officer, Dauda Baba Halal.
Thousands of Higher National Diploma graduates from polytechnics across Nigeria are reportedly stranded, as prolonged delays in mobilisation into the National Youth Service Corps continue to disrupt their career plans. Many are waiting months, and in some cases years, after graduation without being called up for the mandatory national service programme.
Usman, a graduate of Kaduna State Polytechnic who completed his programme two years ago, stated that officials repeatedly ask graduates to submit documents without providing a resolution.
"They keep asking us to submit documents again and again, and nothing changes. I submitted my regularisation printout, but they said they could not find it. I submitted it again, and still nothing. People keep asking me about my NYSC status, and it is frustrating," Usman stated.
Zainab Asmau, another graduate of the institution, described the situation as emotionally and financially draining, claiming that many graduates have waited over three years without mobilisation.
An official of Kaduna State Polytechnic, who spoke anonymously, explained that the institution faces constraints due to the limited mobilisation quota allocated to schools by the NYSC, noting that it is impossible to mobilise thousands of graduates at once.
Auwal Bagwai, Head of the Public Affairs Unit of Kano State Polytechnic, attributed the delay to documentation issues involving JAMB and the NYSC, revealing that some graduates were rejected during data uploads due to unrecognised or invalid JAMB registration numbers.
However, Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of JAMB, clarified that the board does not handle admissions into HND programmes and therefore cannot provide admission records for such students to the NYSC system.
Education data indicate that universities and polytechnics collectively produce approximately 600,000 graduates annually, whilst the NYSC mobilises only between 240,000 and 350,000 corps members each year, creating a significant backlog.
Experts warn that the delay is compounding youth unemployment, noting that with more tertiary institutions being established across the country, pressure on the NYSC mobilisation system will continue to grow unless the scheme expands its annual mobilisation capacity.
