The Federal Government has announced plans to replace the National Youth Service Corps’ traditional khaki uniform with locally produced Adire fabric as part of sweeping reforms designed to modernise the scheme and promote indigenous industries.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed the development on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, explaining that the initiative is intended to strengthen local production while ensuring government spending benefits the Nigerian economy.
According to the minister, the decision aligns with the administration’s commitment to supporting local textile manufacturers and encouraging the patronage of Nigerian-made products.
“It’s Adire. So, Adire is being produced in Nigeria. We have them in Ogun, we have them in Kwara, we have textile industry. Let’s put our money back into the country,” Olawande said.
Beyond the uniform change, the minister revealed that corps members would now be deployed more strategically based on their academic qualifications and professional backgrounds.
He explained that graduates would increasingly be posted to places where their skills are most relevant, allowing them to make greater contributions during their service year.
Using education graduates as an example, Olawande said those trained as teachers would be deployed to schools instead of being assigned to unrelated organisations.
“After you are leaving the camp, you are not just posted to a school just because NYSC wants you to be in school but because of the process you followed when in camp. So, that is going to give a framework of where you are going to be posted to,” he stated.
The minister also addressed concerns over the safety of corps members, particularly those deployed to regions experiencing security challenges.
He disclosed that the government was considering a deployment model that would prioritise assigning corps members to regions where they studied or were already familiar with the environment.
According to him, the arrangement would reduce security concerns among parents and prospective corps members while making the deployment process more practical and efficient.
“If you have interest that you want to go to the North-East why not, but if you don’t have interest, instead of redeploying you, paying people for camp, doing all those funny things, we said no, let us look at it and say who are those in that area, that can reside in those geographical areas and still give us the kind of number we are looking for since we are saying NYSC should be more impactful. So, that is what we are talking about,” he said.
Olawande also dismissed reports suggesting that the military would no longer play any role in the administration of the NYSC.
He described the claims as inaccurate, clarifying that while the scheme’s operational leadership would be civilian-led, the military would continue to provide security support for corps members across the country.
The reforms form part of the comprehensive overhaul of the NYSC approved by the Federal Executive Council earlier this week, marking the first major restructuring of the scheme since it was established in 1973.
As part of the implementation process, the Federal Executive Council directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to amend the NYSC Act and other relevant regulations to accommodate the approved changes.
Under the new framework, the operational leadership of the scheme will be headed by a civilian, while security responsibilities will continue to be handled by the military to ensure the safety of corps members nationwide.
