The Parliamentary Committee on Youth has applauded the work of the National Youth Commission (NYC) and the National Youth Service (NYS) following an oversight visit to both institutions on Wednesday, 28th August 2025.
The visit formed part of Parliament’s constitutional mandate to assess the performance, progress, challenges, and future plans of key youth development agencies in the country.
The delegation was led by the Committee Chairman, Hon. Hamidu E. Mansaray, and included Members of Parliament, parliamentary administrative staff, officials from the Public Relations Department, and representatives of the Parliamentary Press Gallery (PPG-SL).
During the session at the NYC, Deputy Commissioner Emerson Kamara highlighted the Commission’s achievements and challenges. He disclosed that the Commission had only received its first-quarter budget allocation for 2023 and was still awaiting funds for subsequent quarters, a situation he said had placed a heavy strain on operations.
Despite these financial hurdles, Kamara noted that the Commission had provided free application forms and offered hundreds of young people training in various skills at the Obasanjo Complex. He appealed for stronger parliamentary support to secure increased annual budgetary allocations from the Ministry of Finance.
In response, Hon. Mansaray commended the Commission for submitting its documents as requested and reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to youth empowerment. He acknowledged the constraints facing the Commission and announced that MPs had requested a detailed breakdown of the NYC’s 2023–2024 procurement activities for further review.
The Committee also visited the NYS headquarters, where Director Paul presented an update on the institution’s operations. He explained that the Service’s mandate focuses largely on university graduates but is hindered by financial limitations.
Director Paul revealed that with UNDP support, the NYS has trained seven cohorts of youth corps members, beginning with 200 participants and increasing annually. He noted that 70–80 percent of graduates from the program had secured jobs, particularly in the private sector, including banks. However, he stressed that limited job opportunities in the public sector remain a major challenge.
After reviewing the NYS submissions, Hon. Mansaray praised the Service for its timely presentation of documents and assured that Parliament would carefully examine them before presenting a report in the Well of Parliament.
The Committee’s oversight mission, he said, underscores Parliament’s commitment to ensuring that youth-focused institutions receive the necessary support to deliver on their mandates.
