By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has announced that the Federal Government will replace the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) traditional khaki uniform with Adire fabric as part of ongoing reforms of the scheme.
Olawande made the disclosure on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, saying the change is aimed at boosting local textile production and ensuring that government spending benefits the Nigerian economy.
According to him, Adire is widely produced in Nigeria, particularly in Ogun and Kwara states, and the policy will help strengthen domestic industries.
“It’s Adire. So, Adire is being produced in Nigeria… Let’s put our money back into the country,” he said.
The minister also said the NYSC restructuring will introduce a system where corps members are increasingly posted based on their areas of specialisation rather than the current general deployment approach.
He explained that graduates with education-related qualifications, for instance, would be deployed to schools aligned with their training.
He added that the new posting framework would be further refined during the orientation camp process to ensure more accurate placement.
On security, Olawande said the government is considering posting corps members to areas where they have familiarity, particularly in regions affected by insecurity, in a bid to reduce deployment risks and improve adaptation.
“If we have a particular area that is having insecurity… we must also give them an opportunity,” he said.
The minister also dismissed reports suggesting that the military would be removed from NYSC operations, clarifying that the armed forces would continue to provide security support while administrative leadership becomes more civilian-driven.
He said the reforms, approved by the Federal Executive Council, represent the first major overhaul of the NYSC since its establishment over five decades ago.
The Federal Government says the changes are intended to reposition the scheme into a skills-driven and productivity-focused programme aligned with national economic priorities.
