The Young Leaders Forum of Nigeria has opposed any fundamental restructuring of the National Youth Service Corps, insisting that improved government funding rather than a change in the scheme's mandate was the solution to the challenges currently facing the institution.

The forum's National Coordinator, Dr Marcus Abechi, conveyed the position in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja, where the group also commended the NYSC for its contributions to national integration, rural education and community development over more than five decades of operation.

"The NYSC remains one of the most successful nation building programmes ever established in Nigeria. For over five decades, it has continued to unite young Nigerians across ethnic, religious and regional divides while making invaluable contributions to education, healthcare, agriculture and community development," the statement read.

The forum acknowledged that corps members had filled critical manpower gaps in public schools across underserved rural communities, serving alongside healthcare workers, agricultural extension officers and legal aid providers to complement government delivery of essential social services.

On the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme, the group argued that the initiative was already producing measurable results by equipping corps members with vocational and business management skills. It maintained that the programme's limitations stemmed from insufficient funding rather than any structural or design failure.

"The SAED initiative is not only functional but has continued to empower corps members with practical skills across various sectors of the economy. The challenge confronting the programme is not its structure or design but the level of funding available for its expansion and sustainability," the statement noted.

The forum warned that altering the core mandate of the NYSC risked undermining its primary function as Nigeria's foremost platform for fostering unity among graduates deployed outside their states of origin.

It urged the Federal Government, the National Assembly and relevant stakeholders to direct greater resources toward consolidating the scheme's existing structure.

"What the NYSC requires today is improved funding that will enable the scheme to deepen its skills acquisition programmes, strengthen empowerment initiatives, expand post training support for corps members, improve welfare, and enhance community development projects," Abechi added.