In a landmark ruling, the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to allow female corps members to wear skirts as part of their official uniform in line with their religious beliefs, effectively declaring the scheme’s trousers-only dress policy unconstitutional.
Justice Hauwa Yilwa, delivering the judgment on June 13, 2025, held that compelling all female corps members to wear trousers violates their fundamental rights to freedom of religion and human dignity under Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The decision followed a consolidated legal action brought by two former corps members, Miss Ogunjobi Blessing and Miss Ayuba Vivian, who argued that the NYSC’s dress code infringed on their Christian faith—citing Deuteronomy 22:5, which they interpret as prohibiting women from wearing male attire.
They also claimed to have suffered humiliation, harassment, and embarrassment at the hands of NYSC officials for refusing to wear trousers during their service year.
Among other reliefs, the court granted:
- A declaration that the scheme’s refusal to allow skirts violates the applicants’ religious rights.
- A directive compelling the scheme’s to recognise and permit skirts as part of the uniform for any female corps member with genuine religious objections.
- An order for the NYSC to recall the affected ex-corps members and issue their NYSC discharge certificates.
- A ₦500,000 damages award to each applicant for the degrading treatment they endured—though they initially sought ₦10 million each.
The judgment, which consolidated suits FHC/ABJ/CS/989/2020 and FHC/ABJ/CS/988/2020, lists the scheme and its Director-General as respondents. It is expected to set a precedent for religious accommodation within the federal youth scheme and could prompt wider policy changes across other national institutions.
