The Federal Government has explained that its plan to replace the National Youth Service Corps’ traditional khaki uniform with locally produced Adire fabric is aimed at promoting local manufacturing, supporting Nigeria’s textile industry and ensuring government spending benefits the domestic economy.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed this on Thursday during an interview, saying the proposed change forms part of wider reforms approved by the Federal Executive Council to reposition the NYSC.
According to the minister, the adoption of Adire would encourage patronage of Nigerian-made products and create economic opportunities for local textile producers.
“It’s Adire. So, Adire is being produced in Nigeria. We have them in Ogun, we have them in Kwara, we have textile industry. Let’s put our money back into the country,” Olawande said.
He also announced that under the new framework, corps members would increasingly be deployed based on their academic qualifications to improve the impact of the scheme.
According to him, graduates with education degrees, for example, would be posted to schools rather than being assigned without regard to their areas of specialisation.
“After you are leaving the camp, you are not just posted to a school just because NYSC wants you to be in school but because of the process you followed when in camp. So, that is going to give a framework of where you are going to be posted to,” he said.
On security, Olawande said the government was considering posting prospective corps members to regions where they studied and are familiar with the environment, particularly in areas affected by security challenges.
He said the proposal would reduce anxiety among parents and corps members while making the deployment process more practical.
“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.
The minister also dismissed reports claiming the military would be removed from the NYSC, describing such reports as a misconception.
The reforms follow the Federal Executive Council’s approval on Monday of a comprehensive overhaul of the NYSC, the first major reform of the scheme since it was established in 1973.
As part of the reforms, the council directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to amend the NYSC Act and relevant regulations to accommodate the changes.
Under the new framework, the scheme’s operational leadership will be headed by a civilian, while the military will continue to provide security support for corps members nationwide.
