Sowore Pledges to Abolish JAMB, Replace NYSC With Voluntary Job Corps if Elected President

The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has pledged to abolish the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and scrap the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in its current form if elected President.

Sowore made the pledge in a post on his Facebook account, where he outlined plans to reform Nigeria’s tertiary education admission process and replace the existing national service scheme with a voluntary employment programme.

“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 said.

The AAC presidential candidate also proposed replacing the NYSC with what he described as a two-year voluntary National Job Corps.

“The National Youth Service Corps will be scrapped in its current form. 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,” Sowore stated.

He argued that Nigerian youths deserve greater access to 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.

Sowore’s proposal comes a day after the Federal Executive Council approved a comprehensive reform of the NYSC, including proposed amendments to its enabling Act, the introduction of civilian operational leadership, and deployment of corps members based on their fields of specialisation as part of efforts to make the scheme more skills-driven and productivity-focused.