A proposal to redesign the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) uniform has sparked widespread debate, with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), strongly criticising the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande.
The controversy followed the minister’s appearance on Channels Television, where he discussed ongoing NYSC reforms and mentioned Adire as a possible replacement for the scheme’s traditional khaki uniform. Olawande said the idea was intended to promote locally made textiles, support Nigerian manufacturers and retain government spending within the country.
“Why should we import materials for our uniforms when we can produce them here? We have Adire, we have Ankara, we have made-in-Nigeria fabrics,” the minister said, adding that the proposal was part of efforts to encourage local production and create jobs.
Reacting to the proposal, VeryDarkMan questioned the government’s priorities, arguing that changing the NYSC uniform should not take precedence over addressing pressing youth challenges.
“You want to change khaki to Adire? Is that the problem of Nigerian youths? Corps members are complaining about insecurity, poor camp facilities and welfare, yet you’re talking about changing uniforms,” he said in a video shared on his social media platforms.
He also criticised the choice of Adire, describing it as a regional cultural fabric that should not represent a national programme, while accusing the minister of failing to address issues affecting Nigerian youths.
Following the backlash, Olawande clarified that the Federal Government had not approved Adire as the new NYSC uniform. According to him, Adire and Ankara were only cited as examples of proposals under consideration during stakeholder consultations.
“There is no final approval yet. Adire and Ankara were only examples. Consultations are still ongoing and no decision has been made,” the minister said, urging Nigerians not to allow the debate over the uniform to overshadow the broader reforms aimed at making the NYSC more skills-oriented and youth-focused.
The proposed redesign is part of wider NYSC reforms recently approved by the Federal Executive Council, which include extending the orientation camp to six weeks, introducing skills-based deployment, strengthening entrepreneurship training and transitioning the scheme to civilian operational leadership while retaining military support for security. Some of the reforms will require amendments to the NYSC Act before they can be implemented.