The National Youth Service Corps has warned universities and other corps-producing institutions that it will punish any school found to be uploading unqualified graduates for national service.
Director-General Brig.-Gen. Nafiu Olakunle made the threat at the opening of a pre-mobilisation workshop for the 2026 Batch A exercise in Abuja.
He told heads of student-affairs and mobilisation officers that the NYSC “will not hesitate to impose appropriate sanctions on any CPI found to violate established standards.”
Olakunle said the mobilisation system is now largely digital but still suffers from poor data at the source, weak verification and, in some cases, deliberate record manipulation.
He listed problems that undermine the process, including “uploading unqualified graduates, inconsistent academic records, data discrepancies, intentional record manipulation for personal or illegal gain, and weak internal verification systems.”
To stop the abuses, the NYSC urged institutions to strengthen their internal data checks, train desk officers, and work closely with regulators such as the National Universities Commission, JAMB and the National Board for Technical Education.
“Moving forward, the NYSC is fully dedicated to strictly following Standard Operating Procedures,” Olakunle said.
Officials at the workshop also highlighted technology as both a help and a risk: while ICT can speed mobilisation, it requires good controls to prevent fraud.
The NYSC warned that any CPI caught manipulating records may face penalties, including blacklisting, and asked institutions to report problems early to protect the integrity of national service.
