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 reforms aimed at strengthening the scheme and promoting local industries.
According to The Punch, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed the plan during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday.
Olawande said the initiative would encourage local production and ensure government spending benefits Nigerian businesses.
“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.
The minister also revealed that corps members would increasingly be deployed based on their academic qualifications under the proposed reforms.
He explained that graduates trained in education, for example, would be posted to schools after undergoing the necessary assessment during the orientation camp.
“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,” he said.
On security, Olawande said the government was considering posting corps members to regions where they studied or were already familiar with, particularly in areas facing security challenges.
According to him, the approach would reduce redeployment requests while making the scheme more effective.
The minister also dismissed reports that the military would be removed from the NYSC, describing the claims as misleading.
The proposed changes follow the Federal Executive Council’s approval of a comprehensive reform of the NYSC, the first major overhaul of the scheme since it was established in 1973.
Under the reforms, the operational leadership of the NYSC will be headed by a civilian, while the military will continue providing security support for corps members across the country.
