FG to replace NYSC khaki uniform with Adire

The Federal Government has confirmed plans to replace the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) traditional khaki uniform with locally produced Adire fabric as part of ongoing reforms aimed at repositioning the scheme.

 

The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed this on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, saying the initiative is designed to promote local manufacturing and ensure government spending supports the Nigerian economy.

 

“It’s Adire. Adire is being produced in Nigeria. We have them in Ogun, we have them in Kwara, we have the textile industry. Let’s put our money back into the country,” he said.

 

Olawande also announced that corps members would increasingly be posted based on their fields of study under the new framework. He explained that graduates with education qualifications, for example, would be deployed to schools instead of being posted without regard to their professional backgrounds.

 

“After you leave the camp, you are not just posted to a school because NYSC wants you to be in a school, but because of the process you followed while in camp. That is going to provide a framework for where you will be posted,” he said.

 

On security, the minister said the government is considering posting prospective corps members to regions where they studied and are familiar with the environment, particularly in areas facing security challenges.

 

According to him, the arrangement would reduce concerns among parents and prospective corps members while making the deployment process more practical.

 

“If you have an interest in going to the North-East, why not? But if you don’t, instead of redeploying you and going through all those processes, we said let’s identify those already familiar with those geographical areas while ensuring NYSC remains impactful,” he said.

 

The minister also dismissed reports that the military would be removed from the NYSC, describing the claims as a misconception.

 

He clarified that while the scheme’s operational leadership would be headed by a civilian under the proposed reforms, the military would continue to provide security support for corps members nationwide.

 

The reforms follow Monday’s approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of a comprehensive overhaul of the NYSC—the first major reform of the scheme since its establishment in 1973.

 

As part of the changes, the FEC directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to amend the NYSC Act and its regulations to accommodate the new framework.