The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) says it has no hands in a reported plan by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to collect a N200 levy from Nigerian students in connection with mobilisation for national service.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Caroline Embu, NYSC’s spokesperson, said the management of the scheme had neither discussed nor agreed to the collection of such a levy with NANS.
The clarification followed a viral publication titled, “NANS moves to collect N200 levy from Nigerian students, links dues to NYSC mobilisation.”
Embu said NYSC had also not entered into any memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the student body concerning the proposed levy.
“The NYSC wishes to state unequivocally that it has not, at any time, discussed, agreed to, or entered into any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) regarding the collection of any levy from students in connection with mobilisation for national service,” the statement reads.
According to Embu, NYSC’s operations are conducted under the authority of the federal government, with the scheme implementing only policies, guidelines and procedures approved by the appropriate government authorities.
HOW NYSC MOBILISATION WORKS
She said mobilisation process is conducted through established official channels and does not require the intervention or payment of any levy to a student association.
Embu further explained that the process involves the NYSC management working with heads of corps producing institutions (CPIs), who are responsible for providing information on their graduates for mobilisation.
“The mobilisation process is neither linked to nor contingent upon the activities of any student association or organisation,” she said.
She advised students and prospective corps members to disregard any claim that payment to NANS, or any other association, is a condition for mobilisation.
“Members of the public, particularly Prospective Corps Members and students, are advised to disregard any information suggesting that payment of a levy to NANS or any other association is a requirement for NYSC mobilisation,” Embu said.
The NYSC assured the public that it remained committed to a transparent, credible and efficient mobilisation process in line with government policies and guidelines.
The clarification comes less than a month after NYSC and NANS publicly discussed closer cooperation on mobilisation and youth development.
On July 17, 2026, Olakunle Nafiu, NYSC director-general, received members of the NANS national executive council at the NYSC headquarters in Abuja.
Reports of the meeting said both organisations agreed to deepen collaboration to improve corps mobilisation and advance youth development initiatives.
Nafiu described NANS as a dependable partner of the scheme and said the NYSC remained open to strategic collaboration with the student body. He also said every undergraduate was a prospective corps member.
The engagement was not the first recent interaction between the two organisations over mobilisation.
A NANS delegation led by Sadiq Zango, national vice-president, external affairs, also met with the NYSC leadership to discuss graduate transition, national service, youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and institutional collaboration.
NANS said it had been receiving inquiries from graduating students and prospective corps members about mobilisation procedures, documentation, welfare and post-service opportunities.
The association proposed, among other measures, nationwide pre-mobilisation sensitisation programmes and campus-based information campaigns.
The reported collaboration appears to have created room for confusion over the distinction between NANS’ role in sensitisation and advocacy and NYSC’s formal mobilisation procedures.
The NYSC’s latest statement, however, makes clear that any engagement with NANS does not make the student body a collection agent for NYSC mobilisation fees.
NYSC UNDERGOING BROADER REFORMS
The dispute over the alleged N200 levy also comes at a time the NYSC is facing discussions over the future direction of the scheme.
The federal government has been reviewing aspects of the scheme more than five decades after its establishment, with issues including leadership, skills development, employability and the continued relevance of the national service programme featuring prominently in recent discussions.
NANS has said any reform should focus on making the scheme more responsive to the realities facing young Nigerians rather than merely changing its structure.
Against this backdrop, NYSC’s latest clarification seeks to draw a clear line between its official mobilisation process and the activities of student organisations.
