Sowore Unleashed: Vows Presidential Run, Exposes Kuje Prison Horrors After Release
Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, has announced plans to abolish JAMB and scrap the NYSC if elected, proposing a voluntary National Job Corps instead. These policy declarations follow his recent nine-day detention at the overcrowded Kuje Correctional Centre, where he accused the Tinubu administration of oppression and vowed to continue his 2027 presidential campaign for Nigeria's liberation.
Omoyele Sowore, human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has unveiled a bold vision for Nigeria's educational and youth development sectors, declaring that he would abolish the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and scrap the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in their current forms if elected President. Sowore detailed these proposals on his X account, emphasizing reforms aimed at dismantling bureaucratic obstacles in the education system and replacing compulsory youth service with a job-focused program. He argues that tertiary institutions should have the sole responsibility for determining admissions through transparent, merit-based processes, rather than relying on an additional layer of bureaucracy like JAMB.
Regarding the NYSC, Sowore announced plans to abolish its present structure, contending that Nigerian youths are in dire need of employment opportunities and practical skills over mandatory national service. In its place, he proposes a two-year, voluntary National Job Corps designed to guarantee participants meaningful employment, practical skills acquisition, entrepreneurship support, and pathways into permanent careers. Sowore stressed that young Nigerians require opportunities, jobs, skills, and the freedom to choose their future, rather than more compulsory schemes. His proposals have reignited debate over the future of JAMB and NYSC, both of which have faced long-standing criticism regarding inefficiency, bureaucratic bottlenecks, funding issues, and their relevance in addressing the nation's educational and youth unemployment challenges. These declarations come despite recent reforms by the Bola Tinubu administration to the NYSC, including an extended six-week orientation program and a technology-driven call-up process, marking the scheme's first comprehensive review in 53 years.
Sowore's policy announcements followed closely on the heels of his release from the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, where he spent nine days after his bail was revoked in a case initiated by the Department of State Services (DSS). The activist had been remanded by Justice Muhammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja over remarks describing President Bola Tinubu as a