The Federal Government has confirmed that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will replace its traditional khaki uniform with Adire fabric as part of the wide-ranging reforms recently approved for the scheme.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed the development on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, explaining that the decision is intended to encourage local production and keep government spending within the Nigerian economy.
His comments followed Monday’s approval by the Federal Executive Council of what the government described as the most comprehensive overhaul of the NYSC since its establishment in 1973.
Addressing questions about the production of the new uniforms, Olawande said the Adire material would be sourced from local textile manufacturers.
“It’s Adire. Adire is being produced in Nigeria. We have them in Ogun; we have them in Kwara; we have textile industries. Let’s put our money back into the country,” he said.
The minister also revealed that corps members would now be deployed based more closely on their academic qualifications and career paths instead of the current general posting system.
According to him, graduates trained as teachers, for example, will receive relevant preparation during the orientation programme before being assigned to schools.
“After leaving camp, you are not just posted to a school because NYSC wants you there but because of the process you followed in camp. That will determine where you are posted,” Olawande said.
On security, he explained that the government is reviewing the deployment policy to allow more corps members to serve in states where they studied or are already familiar with the environment, especially in areas facing security challenges.
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He said the approach is expected to reduce requests for redeployment while addressing concerns raised by parents and prospective corps members.
“If we have a particular area that is having insecurity, instead of probably forcing people or parents to start talking, we must also give them an opportunity that ‘okay, who are those in that area, that schooled in that area, that know much about that area?’ Not just somebody, for example, let me say from South-West to North-East.
“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 also rejected claims that the military would be removed from the NYSC, stressing that the armed forces would continue to play a key role in securing corps members.
“Military is not taken away, there is no how you can take the military away. It is just saying that we are moving away from military mobilisation to civilian mobilisation,” he said.
Under the new reforms, the orientation programme will now run for six weeks, with greater emphasis on entrepreneurship, vocational training, civic education and employability.
On Wednesday, Bola Tinubu said the reforms are designed to equip young Nigerians with practical skills and prepare them to contribute more effectively to national development.