NYSC under fire over congestion at Ogun camp

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Sagamu, Ogun State, has come under criticism after a viral video showed corps members sleeping in cramped conditions inside a hall.

The camp, often regarded as one of the best in the country, attracted widespread criticism on social media on Monday after a video emerged showing corps members packed inside the camp’s multipurpose hall, with mattresses placed close together on the floor.

It was gathered that the hall, ordinarily used for events, had been converted into a temporary sleeping area to accommodate additional corps members.

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The footage sparked outrage, with several social media users expressing concern over the living conditions at the camp.

An economist, Professor Pat Utomi, described the situation as deplorable in a post on his X handle.

“Why do we keep normalising abnormal conditions in Nigeria? This is the NYSC camp in Sagamu, Ogun State. You could show this video to a foreigner, and they would probably mistake the place for a prison hall.

“Our young corps members should never be subjected to such deplorable conditions. They deserve dignity, better facilities and a much better camping experience,” he posted.

Another X user, @Chude_ND1, who shared the video, wrote: “Imagine NYSC Orientation Camp, Sagamu, Ogun State, in 2026. Even people in IDP camps in Gaza are not living like this.”

Another user, Man of Letters (@Letter_to_Jack), described the situation as an institutional failure and called on the Federal Government to address the problem.

He argued that the NYSC management should have considered the accommodation capacity of the various orientation camps before posting corps members.

Some corps members who spoke with Daily Trust also attributed the overcrowding in some orientation camps to the large number of graduates mobilised for the current batch.

They said the NYSC leadership had granted some corps members permission to leave the camps voluntarily to ease pressure on available accommodation.

The 2026 Batch C Stream II orientation course commenced on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.

In a statement issued by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, the NYSC said the exercise would take place across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to the statement, registration of corps members would run from November 4 to midnight on November 6, while the swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for Friday, November 6. The orientation course is expected to end on Tuesday, November 24, 2026.

A male corps member at the Sagamu camp told Daily Trust that many graduates had already left following the voluntary exit arrangement.

A female corps member posted to Abuja but currently undergoing orientation in Kogi State blamed the overcrowding on spillovers from previous batches and the postponement of the next mobilisation exercise until April 2027.

“In our camp, too, many corps members slept outside during the first few days. However, the authorities later opened the gates for those who wished to leave voluntarily, which helped ease the pressure on accommodation.