The Federal Government has unveiled key reforms to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), including plans to replace the scheme’s traditional khaki uniform with locally produced Adire fabric and deploy corps members based on their academic qualifications.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the changes are part of a broader effort to reposition the NYSC as a more productive, skills-driven programme while promoting local industries and creating greater economic value within Nigeria.
Speaking on the proposed uniform change, the minister explained that the adoption of Adire would support local textile manufacturers and encourage government patronage of indigenous products.
“It’s Adire. Adire is produced in Nigeria. We have producers in Ogun, Kwara and other parts of the country with textile industries. Let’s put our money back into the country,” he said.
Olawande also disclosed that corps members would increasingly be posted according to their fields of study and professional training rather than being deployed without consideration for their qualifications.
Under the new arrangement, graduates with education-related degrees, for example, will be posted to schools, while others will be assigned to organisations relevant to their areas of expertise.
He explained that the process would begin during orientation camp, where information gathered would guide the eventual posting of participants.
The minister further revealed that the government is considering assigning prospective corps members to regions where they studied or are already familiar with, particularly in states facing security challenges.
According to him, the approach is designed to ease concerns about safety, reduce requests for redeployment and make the deployment process more efficient without preventing volunteers from serving in other parts of the country if they choose to do so.
Addressing reports that the military would no longer be involved in the NYSC, Olawande dismissed the claim as misleading.
He clarified that while the operational leadership of the scheme would be headed by a civilian under the approved reforms, the military would continue to play its role in ensuring the security of corps members across the country.
“We are not taking the military out of NYSC. There is no way you can remove the military from the scheme. What is changing is that we are moving from military mobilisation to civilian mobilisation,” he said.
The reforms follow the approval of a comprehensive restructuring of the NYSC by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), marking the first major overhaul of the programme since it was established 53 years ago.
As part of the implementation process, the FEC directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Youth Development to amend the NYSC Act and relevant regulations to accommodate the approved changes.
The Federal Government said the reforms are aimed at transforming the NYSC into a modern institution focused on skills development, productivity and youth empowerment in line with its broader economic development agenda.
