NYSC Faces Backlash Over Overcrowding at Ogun Orientation Camp

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has come under criticism following the circulation of a viral video showing prospective corps members sleeping in overcrowded conditions at its orientation camp in Sagamu, Ogun State.

The footage, which emerged online on Monday, showed graduates sleeping on mattresses arranged closely together on the floor of a multipurpose hall, with little space for movement.

The hall was reportedly converted into a temporary sleeping area to accommodate prospective corps members arriving for the November 2026 Batch C, Stream II orientation exercise.

The video triggered widespread criticism on social media, with Nigerians questioning the preparedness of the scheme and demanding better accommodation and welfare arrangements for participants.

The Ogun State Government attributed the overcrowding to the number of prospective corps members mobilised for the exercise, saying the camp received more than twice its usual capacity.

The Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kayode Akinmade, said in a statement on Monday that the footage showed a temporary arrangement made during registration, which continued into the night.

According to him, the camp, popularly known as the Five-Star Camp, normally accommodates slightly more than 2,000 corps members per batch but received over 4,300 for the current exercise.

Akinmade explained that registration, screening, credential verification and hostel allocation were handled by NYSC officials. He said prospective corps members whose registration extended late into the night were temporarily accommodated in the multipurpose hall, where mattresses were provided.

He added that the state government had intervened by supplying 500 mattresses, while the Akarigbo of Remo donated 100 mattresses and later provided an additional 200.

The governor’s aide maintained that although the NYSC was responsible for camp operations and accommodation arrangements, the state government continued to support the scheme through interventions aimed at improving corps members’ welfare.

He also recalled that Governor Abiodun had approved ₦50,000 each for 3,050 corps members who participated in the previous 2026 Batch C, Stream I exercise to assist with transportation costs.

Akinmade further described Ogun State’s record in NYSC administration as evidence of the government’s commitment to supporting the scheme and urged the public to distinguish between the operational responsibilities of the NYSC and the state’s supportive role.

The controversy also drew attention to conditions at other orientation camps in the South-West. A separate video circulating online purportedly showed female prospective corps members at the permanent orientation camp in Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State, sleeping in an unfinished building allegedly lacking toilets and bathrooms.

The footage was said to have been recorded during the November 2026 Batch C, Stream II exercise. However, the claims about the conditions at the Ondo camp had not received a substantive public explanation from the NYSC as of the time of reporting.

The NYSC Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Tejumade Awoleye, declined to comment when contacted, saying the state coordinator and the Director-General were the appropriate officials to address the matter.

The scheme’s national spokesperson had also not responded to requests for comments as of the time of filing the report.

Several Nigerians continued to express concern over the conditions shown in the Sagamu video. An X user, Ayohid01, who appeared to be among those affected, wrote that the experience at the camp had left him frustrated.

Another user, Chude, compared the reported conditions to those in displacement camps, while CandyLove described the situation as unacceptable and said Nigerian graduates deserved better treatment.

Civic technology and accountability organisation MonITNG also criticised the reported overcrowding, calling for an investigation and improvements in accommodation, sanitation, healthcare, feeding and security at orientation camps.

The organisation further alleged that some prospective corps members had been asked to return home because of inadequate accommodation, while others struggled to find sleeping spaces. These claims had not been independently established.

Economist Pat Utomi also condemned the situation, questioning why poor conditions in public institutions continued to be accepted as normal. He said corps members deserved dignity and better facilities during their orientation exercise.

Meanwhile, some social media users argued that responsibility for the overcrowding should not be placed solely on the Ogun State Government, pointing out that the NYSC is a federal scheme responsible for mobilising and posting corps members to states.

An X user identified as nba also alleged that some male corps members had been moved out of their hostel to accommodate female participants. The claim had not been independently confirmed.

With questions now being raised over accommodation arrangements at the Sagamu camp and reports emerging from another South-West facility, attention has turned to the NYSC’s response and whether the scheme had made adequate preparations for the number of graduates mobilised for the exercise.