‘I Will Abolish JAMB And NYSC If Elected Nigeria’s President’ – Sowore

The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has announced plans to scrap the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) if elected into office.

The activist stated that the policies are part of a broader educational and labor reform designed to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks for Nigerian youths. Sowore proposed replacing the mandatory one-year youth service with a voluntary, two-year National Job Corps aimed at providing guaranteed employment and entrepreneurship pathways.

Established in 1978, JAMB is the statutory agency responsible for conducting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for prospective undergraduates. Under Sowore’s proposed framework, tertiary institutions would independently manage their admissions through a decentralized, merit-based system. Meanwhile, the NYSC, which was founded in 1973 to foster national unity after the civil war, would be fundamentally overhauled to focus strictly on career development rather than compulsory service.

Sowore argued that young Nigerians require immediate economic opportunities, modern job skills, and the independence to shape their career trajectories rather than participating in mandatory colonial-era schemes. The proposal has ignited intense national debate regarding the long-term sustainability and relevance of Nigeria’s traditional public institutions.