The Federal Government has approved sweeping reforms for the National Youth Service Corps, including plans to replace the scheme's khaki uniform with locally produced Adire fabric to boost indigenous textile production, Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed.

He revealed this on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television, explaining that the reform package is designed to reposition NYSC as a more skills driven and economically impactful programme. Olawande noted that the shift to Adire is intended to ensure 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 stated.

The Minister 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 posted without regard to their professional background, would be restructured to improve efficiency.

"That after you leave 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 noted that the government is exploring a deployment model that prioritises familiarity with the environment, particularly for corps members posted to high risk regions, an approach he said is intended to ease safety concerns raised by parents. He added that the system would remain flexible for corps members who willingly choose postings outside their regions.

Olawande dismissed reports suggesting 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 clarified.

"The military is not taken away; there is no way you can take the military away. It is just saying that we are moving away from military mobilisation to civilian mobilisation," he added.

The reforms were earlier reported to have been approved by the Federal Executive Council, 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 nationwide. Officials said the overhaul aligns with the government's broader ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.