What is the NYSC Exemption Certificate

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For some graduates, whether schooled here in Nigeria or abroad, they may be eligible to receive an exemption from the one-year NYSC program. In such cases, they are issued the NYSC Exemption Certificate instead of the regular Certificate of National Service.

But what exactly is this exemption certificate? It’s an official document stating that the bearer meets one of the criteria that excuses them from serving in the NYSC program, as outlined in the NYSC laws. Having this certificate allows the person to present it wherever the NYSC discharge certificate is required, such as for employment purposes.

Who Qualifies for Exemption?

According to the 1993 NYSC Decree, you can get exempted from service if at the time of graduating with a BSc, BA, or HND degree, you meet any of these conditions:

• You are over 30 years old
• You have done over 9 months of service in the Nigerian armed forces or police
• You work for certain national security agencies like NSO, SSS, NIA or Defence Intelligence
• You have received a national honor/award

For both home-trained and foreign-trained graduates who fit the above, you are eligible to receive the exemption certificate from NYSC instead of being deployed for service.

How To Obtain The Exemption Certificate

For Graduates of Nigerian Universities:

1. Your school sends NYSC a list of their new graduates
2. NYSC determines who will be called up for service and who qualifies for exemption
3. The exemption certificates are then printed and sent back to the schools
4. You can collect your exemption certificate only from your university/institution – not from NYSC offices.

For Foreign-Trained Graduates:

1. You must first do credentials evaluation and registration at NYSC headquarters in Abuja
2. At the registration, NYSC will determine if you qualify for deployment or exemption
3. Those exempted will receive their certificate to be collected from the headquarters in batches of 3
4. You must come in person with ID like international passport to collect the certificate.

Corrections and Complaints

For home-trained graduates, any complaints or corrections needed should be sent through your school, which will forward your case to NYSC.

For foreign-trained, you should send a written application along with a copy of your documents like international passport and original exemption certificate (if available) to the NYSC Director-General in Abuja. Provide your contact details for follow-up.

Replacing a Lost Exemption Certificate

If you lose your exemption certificate, NYSC will not reprint it. Instead, you can apply for a confirmation letter by providing:

• A letter notifying NYSC of the loss (through your school if you schooled in Nigeria)
• Police report/extract
• Court affidavit
• Copy of the lost certificate (if available)
• Passport copy (for foreign-trained)

NYSC will then issue you an official confirmation letter to serve as proof of your exemption status.

The NYSC exemption certificate is an important document, so be sure to obtain it properly and keep it safe. It could be your gateway to employment opportunities by confirming you were legally exempted from the NYSC program.