RismadarVoice Reporters, July 2, 2026
African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has pledged to abolish the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and replace the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with a voluntary employment programme if elected President of Nigeria.
Sowore made the declaration in a post recently, arguing that both institutions have outlived their relevance and should be replaced with systems that promote merit, job creation and practical skills.
According to him, admission into tertiary institutions should be handled directly by universities, polytechnics and colleges of education without the involvement of a central examination body.
“When I become President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, JAMB will be abolished. Admission into tertiary institutions should be determined by the institutions themselves under a transparent, merit-based system, not by another layer of bureaucracy,” he wrote.
The former presidential candidate said tertiary institutions should have the autonomy to admit qualified candidates, describing the current admission process as unnecessarily bureaucratic.
On the future of the NYSC, Sowore said his administration would end the mandatory one-year national service and replace it with a two-year voluntary National Job Corps.
He explained that the proposed programme would focus on employment opportunities, vocational training, entrepreneurship and career development.
“The National Youth Service Corps, in its current form, will be scrapped. In its place, we will establish a two-year, voluntary National Job Corps that guarantees participants meaningful employment, practical skills, entrepreneurship support and pathways into permanent careers,” he stated.
Sowore argued that young Nigerians need access to jobs and economic opportunities rather than compulsory government programmes.
“Nigeria’s young people do not need more compulsory schemes. They need opportunities, jobs, skills and the freedom to choose their future,” he added.
His comments come shortly after the Federal Executive Council approved a comprehensive overhaul of the NYSC scheme, marking the most significant reform since its establishment in 1973.
The approved reforms include extending the orientation course from three to six weeks, introducing specialised career streams, restructuring corps member deployment based on security considerations, replacing the traditional passing-out parade with a graduation ceremony, and placing greater emphasis on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and skills acquisition.
The reforms also provide for technology-driven deployment, improved camp facilities, civilian leadership of the scheme and primary assignments aligned with corps members’ academic qualifications. The Attorney-General of the Federation has also been directed to amend the NYSC Act to give legal backing to the changes.
Sowore also criticised JAMB despite the examination body’s recent policy adjustments, insisting that higher institutions should independently manage their admission processes without the board serving as an intermediary.
