The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has confirmed that one of the reforms approved for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will see the scheme’s traditional khaki uniform replaced with Adire fabric.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, the minister said the change is aimed at promoting local manufacturing and ensuring government spending benefits the Nigerian economy.
Responding to a question on whether the new uniform would be produced locally, Olawande said: “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.”
The minister also disclosed that, under the ongoing restructuring of the scheme, corps members would increasingly be posted based on their areas of specialisation.
He explained that graduates with education-related qualifications would be posted to schools, rather than the existing practice of deploying corps members without regard to their professional backgrounds.
“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 concerns in some parts of the country, Olawande said the government is considering deploying prospective corps members to regions where they studied and are already familiar with the environment, particularly in areas affected by insecurity.
He said the approach would reduce concerns by parents and prospective corps members while making the deployment process more practical. (Channels)