Outrage as 4,300 Corps Members Cram Into Ogun NYSC Camp
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has faced widespread criticism after a viral video showed prospective corps members sleeping in overcrowded conditions at its orientation camp in Sagamu, Ogun State.
The footage, which emerged online on Monday, showed graduates sleeping on mattresses placed closely together on the floor of a multipurpose hall, leaving little room for movement.
The hall was reportedly converted into a temporary sleeping area to accommodate the large number of prospective corps members arriving for the orientation exercise.
The situation sparked outrage on social media, with Nigerians questioning the scheme’s preparedness and demanding better accommodation and welfare arrangements for participants.
Reacting to the controversy, the Ogun State Government said the overcrowding followed the NYSC’s decision to mobilise more than twice the camp’s usual capacity.
The Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kayode Akinmade, said in a statement on Monday that the camp, popularly known as the Five-Star Camp, received more than 4,300 prospective corps members for the current batch, compared with slightly over 2,000 in previous batches.
Akinmade explained that the video captured a temporary arrangement during registration, which continued into the night.
He said registration, screening, credential verification and hostel allocation were handled exclusively by NYSC officials, adding that prospective corps members whose processes extended into the night were temporarily accommodated in the multipurpose hall, where mattresses were provided.
The government said it had intervened by providing 500 mattresses, while the Akarigbo of Remo donated 100, followed by an additional donation of 200 mattresses.
Akinmade maintained that although the NYSC was responsible for managing the camp and its registration process, the state government continued to support the scheme through interventions aimed at improving corps members’ welfare.
He also recalled that Abiodun had approved ₦50,000 for each of the 3,050 corps members in the previous 2026 Batch C, Stream I, to assist with transportation.
The governor’s aide said Ogun State had been adjudged the best in the country in NYSC administration, describing the recognition as evidence of its commitment to supporting the scheme.
The controversy also drew attention to conditions at other orientation camps in the South-West, following the circulation of another video purportedly showing female corps members sleeping in an incomplete building at the permanent orientation camp in Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State.
The footage was said to have been recorded during the November 2026 Batch C, Stream II exercise and appeared to show the building without toilets or bathrooms.
However, the NYSC had yet to issue a substantive public response to the reported conditions.
When contacted, the NYSC Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Tejumade Awoleye, declined to comment, saying only the state coordinator and the Director-General of the scheme could address the matter.
The scheme’s national spokesperson had also yet to respond to calls and text messages seeking its position as of the time of filing this report.
Several social media users condemned the situation, with some claiming to be among those affected.
An X user, Ayohid01 (@ayohid01), wrote, “Bro, I can’t believe I am experiencing this right now at Ogun State camp. Unna no try at all.”
Another user, Chude (@Chude_ND1), compared the conditions to those in displacement camps, writing, “Imagine NYSC Orientation Camp Shagamu, Ogun State in 2026. Even people in IDP camps in Gaza are not living like this. We have serious problems in this country.”
Similarly, CandyLove (@DazylingQueen) described the reported conditions as unacceptable, saying it was heartbreaking that Nigerian graduates were subjected to such treatment.
Civic technology and accountability organisation MonITNG (@monitng) also condemned the situation, describing it as “a national disgrace that demands immediate intervention”.
The organisation alleged that some prospective corps members had been asked to return home because of inadequate accommodation, while others struggled to find sleeping spaces.
It questioned whether the NYSC had adequately prepared for the number of participants and called on the Director-General, the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and other relevant authorities to investigate the reports and improve accommodation, healthcare, sanitation, feeding and security at orientation camps.
Economist Pat Utomi also criticised the situation, questioning why Nigerians continued to accept poor conditions in public institutions.
In a post on X, he wrote, “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.”
Meanwhile, some social media users argued that the Ogun State Government should not bear responsibility for the overcrowding, noting that the NYSC is a Federal Government scheme responsible for posting corps members to states.
An X user, nba (@nba101i), also alleged that some male corps members had been moved out of their hostel to accommodate female participants.
“This is currently live at NYSC camp in Sagamu. The boys were sent out from their hostel for no reason, just to bring other females to the only boys’ hostel in this camp. This is unfair. You guys can do better; honestly, I’m currently pissed,” the user wrote.
By Oluwafemi Shodipe.
