The Federal Government has announced plans to replace the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) iconic khaki uniform with Adire, a locally produced fabric, as part of a broader package of reforms designed to transform the 53-year-old national service scheme.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, revealed the proposed change during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, explaining that the initiative is intended to strengthen Nigeria’s textile industry by ensuring government expenditure benefits local manufacturers.
“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 planned uniform change, Olawande disclosed that the restructured NYSC would adopt a more professional deployment system that aligns corps members’ postings with their academic qualifications and career backgrounds.
According to the minister, graduates trained in education and other specialised disciplines would be assigned to institutions and organisations where their expertise can be effectively utilised, rather than being posted arbitrarily.
“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 also outlined fresh measures aimed at improving the safety of corps members, saying government is considering deploying participants to regions where they studied or have greater familiarity with the local environment, especially in parts of the country experiencing security concerns.
He explained that the approach would reduce the anxiety often expressed by parents and prospective corps members while making the deployment process 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. So, that is what we are talking about,” he said.
Olawande further dismissed speculation that the ongoing reforms would remove the military from the NYSC structure, describing the reports as a misunderstanding of the government’s intentions.
The changes come after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a sweeping overhaul of the NYSC on Monday, marking the most significant restructuring of the scheme since it was established in 1973.
As part of the approval, the council directed the Attorney-General of the Federation, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, to amend the NYSC Act and other relevant regulations to give legal backing to the reforms.
Under the new framework, the day-to-day operational leadership of the NYSC will be headed by a civilian, while the military will continue to play its traditional role by providing security support for corps members across the country.
(Ripples)