The familiar khaki uniform worn by National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members may soon be replaced with locally produced Adire fabric, as the Federal Government moves ahead with plans to overhaul the 53-year-old youth service scheme.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed the proposal on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, saying the decision is aimed at supporting local industries and ensuring government spending benefits the Nigerian economy.
“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,” the minister said.
The proposed uniform change forms part of the comprehensive reforms recently approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), which seeks to reposition the NYSC as a more skills-driven and economically relevant institution.
Olawande also shed more light on the planned changes to corps members’ deployment, explaining that graduates would increasingly be posted based on their academic qualifications and career interests instead of the current general posting system.
He said the orientation camp would play a greater role in assessing corps members before their final places of primary assignment are determined.
Addressing concerns about security, the minister said the government is considering deploying prospective corps members to regions where they previously studied or are already familiar with, unless they voluntarily choose to serve elsewhere.
According to him, the approach would reduce anxiety among parents and corps members while eliminating the need for frequent redeployments after orientation.
“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 after camp, we are looking at a better arrangement,” he said.
Olawande also dismissed reports suggesting the military would no longer play any role in the NYSC under the proposed reforms.
He clarified that while the scheme is expected to move towards civilian operational leadership, the military will continue to provide security and other support services.
“There is no way you can take the military away. We are only moving from military mobilisation to civilian mobilisation,” he said.
The reforms were approved by the Federal Executive Council earlier this week, with the Attorney General of the Federation and the Ministry of Youth Development directed to begin the process of amending the NYSC Act before the new measures can take effect.
No timeline has yet been announced for the implementation of the proposed changes, including the adoption of the Adire uniform.
