Sowore Vows to Abolish JAMB, Scrap NYSC if Elected President

The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has pledged to abolish the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and scrap the National Youth Service Corps if elected President of Nigeria.

Sowore made the declaration in a post shared on his official X account, where he outlined key education and youth development reforms he intends to implement if he wins the presidency.

According to him, admissions into universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions should be handled directly by the institutions through a transparent and merit-based process, rather than by a central examination body.

“When I become President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, JAMB will be abolished,” he wrote.

“Admission into tertiary institutions should be determined by the institutions themselves under a transparent, merit-based system, not by another layer of bureaucracy.”

The former presidential candidate also announced plans to discontinue the current National Youth Service Corps scheme, arguing that it no longer meets the needs of Nigerian graduates.

Instead, he proposed the establishment of a two-year voluntary National Job Corps designed to equip young Nigerians with practical skills while creating employment opportunities.

“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 stated.

He maintained that Nigerian youths require sustainable opportunities rather than compulsory national service 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 did not provide further details on how admissions would be coordinated nationwide or the operational framework for the proposed National Job Corps.

JAMB currently conducts the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions across Nigeria, while the NYSC scheme requires most graduates below the age of 30 to undertake one year of national service after completing their studies.

The proposals add to the growing debate over reforms in Nigeria’s education sector and youth development policies ahead of the 2027 general elections, with various political figures presenting alternative approaches to improving graduate employment, admissions processes and national service programmes.