The Federal Government has announced plans to replace the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) traditional khaki uniform with locally produced Adire fabric as part of sweeping reforms aimed at restructuring the scheme.
Key Highlights:
- Federal Government plans to replace NYSC khaki uniform with Adire.
- Minister says the initiative will support Nigeria’s textile industry.
- Adire producers in Ogun, Kwara and other states expected to benefit.
- Government reviewing NYSC deployment process to match graduates with their professional skills.
- Reform aims to strengthen local manufacturing and improve national service delivery.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed the plan on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, saying the initiative was designed to boost local textile production and keep government spending within the Nigerian economy.
“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,” the minister said.
Olawande also revealed that under the new framework, corps members would increasingly be deployed based on their academic qualifications and professional backgrounds.
According to him, graduates of education-related courses, for example, would be posted to schools rather than being assigned arbitrarily.
Read Also:
- Gas Leakage: FG Urges Collaboration With Bille Community For Lasting Solution
- FG launches N6bn Youthcred loan initiative for NYSC members
- INEC to deploy over 1.4m NYSC members for 2027 general elections
“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.
On security concerns surrounding the scheme, the minister said the government was considering deploying prospective corps members to regions where they studied or were already familiar with the environment, particularly in areas affected by insecurity.
He explained that the approach would reduce requests for redeployment while making the scheme more practical and impactful.
“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,” Olawande said.
The minister also dismissed reports suggesting that the military would be removed from the NYSC, describing the claims as a misconception.
He clarified that while the operational leadership of the scheme would be headed by a civilian under the new reforms, the military would continue to provide security support for corps members across the country.
The reforms follow the approval by the Federal Executive Council on Monday of a comprehensive overhaul of the NYSC—the first major restructuring of the scheme since its establishment in 1973.
As part of the implementation process, the FEC directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to amend the NYSC Act and relevant regulations to accommodate the approved changes.
