Mobilisation Crisis: Polytechnics’ Graduates Await NYSC Call-Up for Years

Thousands of Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates from polytechnics across Nigeria are reportedly stranded as persistent delays in mobilisation into the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) continue to disrupt their career progression.

Many affected graduates say they have waited for months — and in some cases years — after completing their programmes without being called up for the mandatory national service scheme.

The prolonged delay has left numerous graduates unable to secure employment or pursue professional opportunities, as many organisations require either an NYSC discharge certificate or an exemption letter as part of their recruitment criteria.

Several graduates attributed the situation to administrative bottlenecks within their institutions, as well as the limited mobilisation slots allocated annually to schools by the National Youth Service Corps.

A graduate of Kaduna State Polytechnic who identified himself as Usman said he completed his HND programme two years ago but has yet to be mobilised despite repeatedly submitting the necessary documentation to the institution.

According to him, the repeated requests for document resubmission have become increasingly frustrating.

“They often ask us to reprint and resubmit our regularisation documents even after we have already submitted them,” he said, adding that the process has created confusion and prolonged delays for many graduates.

Another graduate, Zainab Asmau, described the experience as both emotionally and financially draining. She explained that several graduates of the institution have waited for over three years without mobilisation, losing valuable job opportunities because they cannot present an NYSC certificate.

Similarly, Abubakar, another graduate of Kaduna State Polytechnic, said the delay has forced many graduates to watch their younger colleagues advance ahead in their careers.

“Some students who gained admission years after us have already completed their service and moved forward professionally,” he lamented.

However, an official of the polytechnic who spoke anonymously explained that the institution faces limitations due to the mobilisation quota allocated to each school by the National Youth Service Corps.

According to the official, it is practically impossible to mobilise thousands of graduates at once because each institution receives a fixed number of slots annually.

Graduates from Kwara State Polytechnic and The Polytechnic Ibadan also reported similar experiences.

One graduate, Idayat Folorunso, said she completed her HND programme in July last year but remains on the waiting list for mobilisation several months later.

In Kano State, some graduates of Kano State Polytechnic blamed the delay on documentation issues involving the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the NYSC system.

According to them, some graduates were rejected during data uploads because their JAMB registration numbers were not recognised by the system.

However, the Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Is-haq Oloyede, clarified that the board does not manage admissions into HND programmes and therefore cannot provide admission records for such students to the NYSC database.

Meanwhile, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) attributed part of the delay to compliance issues within some institutions.

According to the board, students who proceed to HND programmes without completing the mandatory one-year Industrial Training required after the National Diploma may encounter difficulties during mobilisation.

Education analysts estimate that universities and polytechnics across Nigeria produce about 600,000 graduates annually, while the National Youth Service Corps mobilises only between 240,000 and 350,000 corps members each year, creating a widening backlog of graduates awaiting service.

Experts also suggest that the backlog may have increased after the Federal Government raised corps members’ monthly allowance from ₦33,000 to ₦77,000, a move that may have constrained the number of graduates mobilised per batch due to funding limitations.

With the continuous establishment of new tertiary institutions across the country, observers warn that pressure on the NYSC mobilisation system could intensify unless structural reforms are introduced to expand the scheme’s annual capacity.