African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has pledged to abolish the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and replace the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with a voluntary employment programme if elected President in the 2027 general election.
Sowore unveiled the proposals in a post on his X account on Wednesday, arguing that both institutions have outlived their usefulness and should give way to reforms focused on merit, employment and practical skills.
On university admissions, the activist said tertiary institutions should have full authority to admit students through transparent, merit-based processes without relying on a central examination body.
“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 wrote.
According to Sowore, the current admission system creates unnecessary bureaucracy and limits the autonomy of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in selecting qualified candidates.
He also proposed a major overhaul of the National Youth Service Corps, saying the compulsory one-year programme should be replaced with a two-year voluntary National Job Corps designed to provide employment opportunities, vocational skills, entrepreneurship support and clear career pathways for young Nigerians.
“The National Youth Service Corps, in its current form, will be scrapped. 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 said.
He argued that Nigerian youths require access to jobs and 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 comments come just days after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the most extensive reform of the NYSC since its establishment in 1973. The reforms extend orientation camp from three to six weeks, introduce specialised career streams, adopt security-based deployment, strengthen entrepreneurship training and place the scheme under civilian leadership.
The Federal Government says the reforms are intended to transform the NYSC into a skills-driven institution that prepares young Nigerians for employment while supporting the country’s long-term economic development goals.
Sowore also criticised JAMB despite the examination body’s recent policy changes, including new admission pathways for candidates affected by the discontinuation of affiliated degree programmes in Colleges of Education and exemptions for applicants into National Certificate in Education (NCE) and selected agriculture-related National Diploma programmes. He maintained that admissions should be handled directly by tertiary institutions without JAMB serving as an intermediary.
