While the khaki uniform has no political leaning or ethnic and geographical colouration attached to its adoption as the official wear of the scheme, its replacement by Adire, which is indigenous to the Yoruba people in the south-western part of the country and is mostly worn by them, may raise questions about the change and the motive behind it.
The Adire fabric, an indigenous textile material, will replace the white and green khaki uniform as the official wear of the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC.
The replacement is part of the proposed changes in the ongoing reform of the scheme.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, who made the disclosure said the decision to go for Adire was part of a wider move to bolster local textile production.
Olawande, who spoke when he appeared on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s ‘The Morning Brief’, disclosed that the replacement of the khaki with Adire would ensure public spending directly supports and improves Nigeria’s economy.
According to him, the new uniform would be produced locally ad Adire is already widely manufactured in different parts of the country.
“It’s Adire. So, Adire is being produced in Nigeria. We have them in Ogun, we have them in Kwara, and we have a textile industry. Let’s put our money back into the country,” he said.
The minister added that the move is designed to boost indigenous industries, especially Nigeria’s textile sector, while bolstering local craftsmanship through government-backed demand.
Beyond the uniform change, the minister disclosed that the Federal Government is also restructuring the NYSC posting system to ensure corps members are deployed based on their professional backgrounds and areas of study.
While the khaki uniform has no political leaning or ethnic and geographical colouration attached to its adoption as the official wear of the scheme, its replacement by Adire, which is indigenous to the Yoruba people in the south-western part of the country and is mostly worn by them, may raise questions about the change and the motive behind it.
Other ethnic nationalities may see it as cultural subjugation through the imposition of the sartorial choice of a certain group on the general populace
