The Federal Government has confirmed plans to replace the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) traditional khaki uniform with locally produced Adire fabric as.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed the plan on Thursday during an interview, saying the initiative would ensure government spending directly supports Nigerian manufacturers and the country’s textile industry.
The proposed uniform change is one of several reforms coming after the Federal Executive Council approved a comprehensive overhaul of the NYSC, the first major review of the scheme since it was established in 1973.
Defending the decision, Olawande said replacing the iconic khaki uniform with Adire aligns with the government’s drive to promote local production and reduce dependence on imported materials.
“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.
The government believes the policy will create more opportunities for local textile manufacturers while keeping public spending within the domestic economy.
Olawande said the reformed NYSC would place greater emphasis on deploying corps members based on their academic qualifications and professional skills.
For instance, education graduates would be posted to schools, while other professionals would be deployed to sectors where their expertise is most relevant.
“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 is expected to improve the overall impact of the one-year national service programme while giving corps members practical work experience in their chosen professions.
Olawande also revealed that the government is reviewing the corps members’ deployment process to improve safety, particularly in regions affected by insecurity.
Under the proposal, prospective corps members could be posted to states or regions where they studied or are already familiar with the environment, reducing the need for redeployment after orientation camp.
According to him, the arrangement would ease the concerns of parents and prospective corps members while making deployment more 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,” he said.
The minister stressed that the proposal would not stop willing corps members from serving in other parts of the country but would make postings more practical in areas facing security challenges.
Olawande also dismissed reports suggesting that the military would be removed from the NYSC structure, describing such claims as misleading.
He clarified that while the reform provides for a civilian to head the operational leadership of the scheme, the military will continue to play a critical role in providing security support for corps members across the country.