The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Nigeria has once again found itself at the center of public debate, after the release of call-up letters for the 2024 Batch C stream II have been issued today. Reports flood X (formerly Twitter) detailing how Prospective Corps Member’s (PCM) who registered for January 2025 batch C stream II, had paid for “sure plug” services to secure deployment in their preferred states, are being reassigned to other states. This unexpected twist has sparked frustration and a wave of discussions across Nigeria.
The term “sure plug” has become infamous among graduates proceeding on NYSC assignment; it refers to unofficial arrangements where corps members or their families pay intermediaries to influence their state of deployment. Despite these payments, numerous posts on X indicate that many have not received the placements they paid for.
There have been numerous accounts from prospective corps members (PCMs) who expected to be placed in their preferred states after paying these intermediaries “sure plugs” but were instead deployed to different locations. This has led to a public outcry on social media, with individuals sharing their experiences of payment without desired outcomes.
With some PCMs openly questioning the legality and ethics of such arrangements. Discussions have touched upon whether there are legal repercussions for those who fail to deliver on these promises or for those engaging in such practices.
The NYSC’s official stance has been to discourage such practices, promoting the integrity of the deployment process as one based on national needs rather than personal preferences or financial influence. However, the persistence of “sure plug” services indicates the dislike by PCM’s choice of states deployments by NYSC, leading to calls for better reforms in how deployments are handled. @OxCollins on X (formerly twitter) said “A lot of youths are unaware of the greater part of the Nigerian culture outside their region, hence the purpose of NYSC is to bring national unity, awareness and identification is doing a good job so far, but should be done better”
Why did NYSC not deploy PCM’s to their preferred deployment state?
NYSC’s primary objective is to promote national unity and development by deploying graduates to different parts of the country, often prioritizing areas with higher needs or lower numbers of volunteers. This means that deployment decisions are influenced by quotas set for each state based on various criteria, including security, infrastructure, and developmental needs. If a state has reached its quota, even those who attempted to influence their deployment might not get placed there.
Even after initial deployments, last-minute changes can occur for various administrative reasons, like balancing corps member distribution across states. Sometimes, discrepancies occur due to administrative oversights or technical issues within the NYSC’s system. This can include data mismanagement or errors in processing requests, leading to unexpected deployments.
“Sure plug” arrangements are inherently unreliable because they operate outside the official channels. Intermediaries might not have the influence they claim, or they might take the money without having any real control over the outcome, leading to disappointed PCMs when the expected deployment does not occur.
The combination of these factors can result in PCMs not being deployed to their preferred states, despite any unofficial arrangements made. This situation underscores the challenges and complexities within the NYSC’s deployment system, highlighting issues of transparency, corruption, and the need for systemic reform.
