FG To Replace NYSC Khaki With Adire

The Federal Government has approved sweeping reforms for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), including plans to replace the scheme’s iconic khaki uniform with locally produced Adire fabric as part of efforts to boost indigenous textile production and strengthen the local economy.

Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed the development on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television, explaining that the reform package is designed to reposition the NYSC as a more skills-driven and economically impactful programme.

He said the shift to Adire uniforms is intended to ensure that government spending supports domestic industries, particularly Nigeria’s textile sector.

“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,” he said.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINER: Things to Know About Newly Approved NYSC Reforms

Olawande also revealed that corps members will now be deployed more strategically under the new framework, with postings increasingly aligned with their academic qualifications and areas of expertise.

He explained that the existing system, where graduates are often posted without regard to their professional background, would be restructured to improve efficiency and national impact.

“That 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 considerations, the minister said government is exploring a deployment model that prioritises familiarity with environment, particularly for corps members posted to high-risk regions.

According to him, this approach is intended to reduce safety concerns raised by parents while improving administrative efficiency.

“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?’”

He added that the system would be flexible for corps members who willingly choose postings outside their regions.

“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.”

Olawande also dismissed reports suggesting that the military would be removed from NYSC operations, describing such interpretations as incorrect.

“We are not taking the military out of NYSC, it’s just a misconception and the way we read some of the things that were put out and that is the aspect that we need to start making research before reacting,” he said.

He clarified that the reforms only affect operational leadership structure, not security involvement.

“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 added.

TVC News Online had earlier reported that the reforms were approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), which directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Youth Development to amend the NYSC Act to enable implementation.

Under the new arrangement, the scheme will be led operationally by a civilian administrator, while the military continues to provide security support for corps members nationwide.

Officials said the overhaul is aimed at repositioning NYSC into a skills-based, productivity-focused youth development platform aligned with the government’s broader economic ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.