By Collins Odigie Ojiehanor
The Federal Government has confirmed plans to replace the National Youth Service Corps’ (NYSC) traditional khaki uniform with locally produced Adire fabric as part of sweeping reforms aimed at repositioning the scheme into a stronger driver of youth employment, skills development and national economic growth.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed this on Thursday, July 2, 2026, during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, explaining that the decision goes beyond changing the corps members’ appearance to strengthening local industries and creating jobs.
“It is time for us to bring back the value chain of creating jobs for the young people. So it’s not even about the uniform. It’s about we have 70% of Nigerians that are young people. For the past two, three years now, university has been running without strike. People are graduating. NYSC is accommodating them. After NYSC, what’s next? And that’s the question,” he said.
According to the minister, the adoption of Adire aligns with the Federal Government’s commitment to promote local manufacturing and ensure that public spending benefits the Nigerian economy.
“No, it’s Ankara self. That is why we are touching the economy. What is the name of that, 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.
Beyond the proposed change in uniform, Olawande said the reforms would fundamentally change how corps members are deployed after orientation camp by aligning postings with their academic qualifications and career development pathways.
He explained that graduates would no longer be assigned to places of primary assignment solely based on administrative considerations but on the professional track they followed during orientation.
“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.
The minister also said the government was reviewing the deployment process to improve the safety of corps members by considering geographical familiarity, particularly in areas affected by security concerns.
According to him, prospective corps members may increasingly be deployed to regions where they studied or are already familiar with the environment, while those willing to serve in other parts of the country would still have that opportunity.
“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.
Olawande also dismissed reports suggesting that the military would be removed from the NYSC, describing such claims as a misconception.
He clarified that while the reforms provide for civilian operational leadership of the scheme, the military would continue to play its traditional role in providing security support for corps members and orientation camp activities.
Responding to questions on when the reforms would take effect, the minister said implementation would be gradual, with aspects that do not require legislative amendments being introduced while the government works to amend the NYSC Act.
“No, there’s nothing like this year, next year. It’s a process. We have been on the process. We are looking at those ones that we can implement without the act. We are looking at those ones that will wait for the act. And we are pushing. And that is why it’s good to be a youth minister, as a youth. So it’s for me to go and postulate to the National Assembly, postulate to them, and tell them that, see, this is something that you should treat like a state police,” he said.
Expressing confidence in the reform agenda, Olawande said President Bola Tinubu had remained receptive to proposals aimed at strengthening youth development and growing the economy.
“And you know we have a listening president. We have a president that listens to things, if you can be able to convince him better on how to see his own view about the economy. So we have that president that talks to us, that listens to us. As I said yesterday, I will stay with him. And it’s an engagement. It’s not going to be easy. No reform is going to be easy. But it’s a process that we need to start from somewhere,” he said.
The latest remarks come days after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the first comprehensive overhaul of the NYSC since the scheme was established in 1973.
The reforms are designed to transform the NYSC into a skills-driven, productivity-focused institution aligned with the Federal Government’s broader economic agenda.
As part of the approval, the Federal Executive Council directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to amend the NYSC Act and other relevant regulations to provide the legal framework for implementing the reforms.
Under the new structure, the NYSC’s operational leadership will be headed by a civilian, while the military will continue to provide security support for corps members nationwide.
The reforms also introduce a technology-driven mobilisation process, risk-sensitive deployment, specialised career streams, skills-based primary assignments and a redesigned orientation programme focused on leadership, entrepreneurship, digital skills and workforce development.