Fear of Insecurity Fuels Growing Demand for NYSC Direct Posting

An increasing number of Nigerian graduates are paying agents to secure National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) postings to safer states as concerns about insecurity in parts of the country intensify. Despite repeated warnings from the NYSC management against such practices, many prospective corps members say the risks of serving in volatile regions leave them with little choice.

Promise (not real name), a graduate of the University of Ilorin, described his 26-hour trip to the Bauchi State orientation camp earlier this year as a journey of constant fear. “I feared serving in the North because of insecurity,” he said, recalling how his attempt to pay for a direct posting failed. “I felt so bad when it didn’t work because I never wanted to serve there.”

The northern region remains one of Nigeria’s most dangerous areas, with widespread banditry, terrorism, communal clashes, and kidnappings. Amnesty International reports that over 10,000 people have been killed across central and northern Nigeria since President Bola Tinubu took office. Between 2012 and 2022, an estimated 60,000 deaths were recorded in 18 northern states due to insecurity.

Direct posting—where prospective corps members pay intermediaries to influence their deployment—has become an underground business. Prices vary depending on the preferred state, with Lagos and Abuja attracting the highest fees. Some graduates risk large sums only to see their efforts fail, while others pay again during orientation to be redeployed.

Security concerns are not limited to the North. Parts of the Southeast have also become danger zones due to attacks linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and enforcement of violent “sit-at-home” orders. Ozioma, a Mass Communication graduate now serving in Lagos, said she fled the region immediately after graduation. “Videos of armed men shooting people circulated every Monday. I left without even packing my belongings,” she said.

Parents share the same fears. Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, National President of the Parent Teacher Association, urged the government to stop posting corps members to states battling insecurity. “The government should handle deployment with security consciousness. Where necessary, special escorts should be considered,” he said. Some parents now openly declare they would rather pay for direct posting than allow their children to travel dangerous highways.

The NYSC, established in 1973 to promote national unity after the civil war, deploys graduates to regions different from their state of origin or education. However, worsening insecurity has turned what was once a symbol of unity into a source of anxiety. Recent reports reveal that buses carrying corps members have been ambushed in states such as Zamfara, Rivers, and Delta, with victims kidnapped for ransom. A 2024 report indicated that at least 83 corps members were abducted between 2013 and 2023.

NYSC authorities continue to warn against paying for postings or relocation. In a statement, the Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, urged corps members to “accept their postings in good faith and resist the temptation to seek reposting.”

Yet many graduates remain unconvinced. “It would be great if the government made the scheme more flexible to allow corps members choose where to serve aside from their state of origin,” Promise said, reflecting the growing calls for a review of the programme in the face of persistent insecurity.