The Ogun State Government has attributed the overcrowding at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Sagamu to a sharp increase in the number of prospective corps members deployed to the state, following public outrage over videos showing graduates sleeping in a crowded multipurpose hall.
The state government said the camp, popularly known as the Five-Star Camp, was designed to accommodate slightly more than 2,000 corps members per batch but received over 4,300 prospective participants for the current 2026 Batch C Stream II exercise.
The explanation came after videos circulating on social media showed mattresses arranged closely together on the floor of the hall, with some prospective corps members reportedly struggling to find adequate sleeping space.
The Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kayode Akinmade, said the situation resulted from the pressure created by the unusually high number of arrivals and the time required to complete registration procedures.
He explained that the registration, screening, credential verification and allocation of hostel accommodation were handled by NYSC officials, not directly by the state government.
According to Akinmade, some prospective corps members whose registration extended into the night were temporarily accommodated in the multipurpose hall, where mattresses were provided for them while the process continued.
He said the state received more than 4,300 prospective corps members for the current batch, compared with slightly over 2,000 in previous exercises, placing considerable pressure on the available facilities.
Figures released at the opening and swearing-in ceremony showed that 4,152 prospective corps members had registered for the exercise. Of that number, 3,698 were deployed directly to Ogun State, while 454 were transferred from Lagos State.
The Lagos contingent comprised 171 males and 283 females, while those deployed directly to Ogun included 1,460 males and 2,238 females.
Akinmade said the state government had continued to support the NYSC through interventions aimed at improving the welfare of corps members.
He disclosed that the government provided 500 mattresses for the current orientation exercise, while the Akarigbo of Remo donated 100 mattresses and later supplied an additional 200.
The governor’s aide also recalled that Abiodun had approved a transportation allowance of ₦50,000 each for 3,050 corps members who participated in the 2026 Batch C Stream I exercise.
Despite the government’s explanation, the conditions shown in the viral videos continued to attract criticism from Nigerians, with concerns raised about the adequacy of accommodation, sanitation, privacy and general welfare at the camp.
Some social media users questioned why the authorities had not made sufficient preparations for the number of graduates expected to report for the exercise.
Others argued that the NYSC, being a Federal Government scheme responsible for deployment and camp administration, should have anticipated the increase and made arrangements to prevent the situation.
The controversy also attracted the intervention of human rights advocate and Chairman of a civil society organisation in Ogun State, Solomon Bankole, who urged affected corps members to consider seeking legal redress.
Bankole argued that participation in the NYSC programme was compulsory for eligible graduates and that the authorities therefore had a responsibility to provide decent accommodation and protect their welfare.
He said the affected graduates could approach the Federal High Court if they believed their fundamental rights had been violated by the conditions at the camp.
The activist also raised concerns about the possible health risks associated with overcrowding, particularly the spread of communicable diseases where large numbers of people are accommodated in confined spaces.
He further called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accommodation arrangements and urged the NYSC to hold any officials found responsible accountable.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State NYSC Public Relations Officer, Tejumade Awoleye, declined to comment on the incident when contacted, saying the state coordinator and the Director-General of the scheme were in a better position to address the matter.
The development has renewed questions about the capacity of NYSC orientation camps to accommodate growing numbers of graduates and the level of coordination between the national scheme and state governments.
While the Ogun Government has described the arrangement as temporary and linked it to the unusual increase in deployment, the complaints from prospective corps members have placed the adequacy of camp facilities and the responsibility for their welfare under public scrutiny.