The federal government has lifted previous restrictions on National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) postings, enabling corps members to serve in banks, government agencies and private sector organisations.

This is contained in a memo dated November 18, 2024, from the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, to the NYSC director general.

The minister said the lifting of the restrictions will take effect with the 2024 Batch 'C Orientation Course.

Previously, NYSC postings were limited to four sectors-education, agriculture, health, and infrastructure-under a policy introduced during the tenure of former minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.

This restriction, intended to prevent private organisations from exploiting corps members as cheap labour, is now being reconsidered to address the rising unemployment rate among Nigerian youth.

Olawande explained that the updated policy aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's vision for harmonising the operations of government ministries, agencies and parastatals with the administration's broader developmental goals.

"The former policy was well-intentioned, as it sought to ensure government funding for NYSC was not exploited by private organisations.

"However, it limited corps members from gaining specialised training and experience in their fields of study, hampering their preparedness for the job market," Olawande stated.

To tackle the unemployment crisis, the minister directed an expansion of posting opportunities to include placements relevant to corps members' courses of study.

He said initial postings to private sector organisations, including select banks and companies in the oil and gas sector, will begin in Abuja and Lagos.