The Federal Government has announced that members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will soon wear Adire instead of the scheme’s iconic khaki uniform.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, days after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the most comprehensive restructuring of the NYSC since its establishment in 1973.
According to Olawande, the decision reflects the government’s broader industrial policy of prioritising locally manufactured products in public procurement.
“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.
New Reforms
Beyond the uniform change, the reforms seek to transform the NYSC from a largely administrative mobilisation exercise into a skills and career development programme better aligned with Nigeria’s labour market.
Under the new framework, the orientation camp will be extended from three weeks to six weeks, allowing additional time for leadership training, entrepreneurship, digital skills development and specialised career preparation.
The government also plans to align corps members’ primary assignments more closely with their academic qualifications and professional training. Graduates of education programmes, for example, are expected to be deployed primarily to schools, while other professionals will be posted to sectors that match their expertise.
Security considerations also feature prominently in the reforms. Olawande said the government is exploring a deployment model that assigns corps members to regions where they studied or have greater familiarity, particularly in areas facing security challenges.
Military Role in Scheme to Change
The minister dismissed speculation that the reforms would eliminate the military’s role in the scheme, clarifying that the objective is to shift from military-style mobilisation to a civilian-oriented service model while retaining military participation in orientation camp activities.
The reforms also replace the traditional Passing Out Parade with a graduation ceremony, introduce a technology-driven mobilisation process, establish a risk-sensitive deployment system and create a national grading framework for orientation camps.
Implementation will require amendments to the NYSC Act, with the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development directed to prepare the necessary legislative changes.
The overhaul follows recommendations from a presidential committee inaugurated in September 2025 to undertake the first comprehensive review of the NYSC in more than five decades. The committee examined the scheme’s legal framework, funding model, operational processes and long-standing concerns over security, infrastructure and graduate employability.
