By Ayobami Okerinde
The federal government has confirmed that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will replace its iconic khaki uniform with Adire fabric as part of sweeping reforms recently approved for the 53-year-old scheme.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed this on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, saying the move is aimed at promoting local production and ensuring government spending supports the Nigerian economy.
Recall that on Monday the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a comprehensive reform of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) since it was established in 1973.
Responding to questions on whether the new uniforms would be produced locally, Olawande said the Adire fabric would be sourced from Nigerian textile producers.
“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 announced that corps members would, under the new reforms, increasingly be posted according to their academic qualifications and career paths rather than through the existing general deployment system.
He explained that graduates trained as teachers, for instance, would be posted to schools after undergoing relevant training during the orientation camp.
“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, the minister said the government is reviewing the deployment policy to allow more corps members to serve in areas where they studied or are familiar, particularly in states facing security challenges.
According to him, the arrangement would reduce the need for redeployment while addressing concerns raised by parents and prospective corps members.
He said, “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.
He also dismissed reports suggesting the military would be removed from the NYSC scheme, describing such claims as a misconception.
Olawande clarified that although the scheme’s operational leadership would be headed by a civilian, the military would continue to play its traditional role in ensuring the security of 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 framework, the orientation course has been expanded to six weeks with greater emphasis on entrepreneurship, vocational skills, civic responsibility and employability.
On Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu said the reforms are aimed at equipping young Nigerians with practical skills and preparing them for national development.
