A viral video showing thousands of prospective corps members sleeping in overcrowded conditions at the NYSC orientation camp in Sagamu, Ogun State, has sparked public outrage.
The footage showed graduates sleeping on mattresses placed close together on the floor of a multipurpose hall due to limited accommodation.
The Ogun State Government said the camp received more than 4,300 corps members, against its normal capacity of slightly over 2,000.
Governor Dapo Abiodun’s media aide, Kayode Akinmade, explained that the overcrowding resulted from the unusually high number of participants.
He said the hall served as temporary accommodation for corps members whose registration and screening continued into the night.
Akinmade added that the state government provided 500 mattresses, while the Akarigbo of Remo donated another 300 to ease the situation.
He also recalled that Abiodun recently approved ₦50,000 transport support for 3,050 corps members in the previous 2026 Batch C, Stream I.
However, the controversy has raised fresh questions about NYSC camp overcrowding and the scheme’s preparation for incoming graduates.
Public criticism also spread after another video allegedly showed female corps members sleeping in an incomplete building at the permanent orientation camp in Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State.
The NYSC has yet to issue a detailed response to the reported conditions.
Its Ogun State spokesperson, Tejumade Awoleye, declined to comment, referring questions to the state coordinator and Director-General.
Several Nigerians condemned the situation online. Economist Pat Utomi questioned why young graduates should endure such conditions during national service.
Civic accountability group MonITNG also called for an investigation and improvements in accommodation, sanitation, healthcare, feeding and security.
Some social media users argued that the Federal Government-owned NYSC, rather than the Ogun State Government, should take responsibility for the overcrowding.
The incident has intensified demands for better welfare arrangements and improved planning across NYSC orientation camps.