Federal Government has announced plans to replace National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) traditional khaki uniform with outfits made from locally produced Adire fabric as part of sweeping reforms aimed at modernising the scheme and boosting Nigeria’s textile industry.
Gatekeepers News reports that the initiative follows the Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) approval of major changes to the one-year national service programme designed to improve its effectiveness while increasing its contribution to national development.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the adoption of Adire reflects the government’s commitment to promoting made-in-Nigeria products and strengthening local textile production.
“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,” he said.
Beyond the uniform change, Olawande explained that the reforms would introduce a more organised deployment system, allowing corps members to be posted based on preferences and processes completed during orientation camp rather than arbitrary assignments.
“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 said.
The minister noted that the new approach would reduce unnecessary redeployments and address concerns raised by parents and prospective corps members, while ensuring participants serve in locations that align with their choices where possible.
“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 added.
Earlier this week, the FEC approved seven key reforms for the scheme, while retaining the existing one-year service duration. The changes include digitalisation of operations, a transition from military to civilian leadership, a redesigned uniform, 11 specialised service streams and a six-week orientation camp.
On Wednesday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also announced that future deployments would prioritise indigenes, residents and graduates of institutions in states classified as high-risk, describing the reforms as part of efforts to make the NYSC safer, smarter and more impactful.
