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 if it aligns with their religious beliefs.
The judgement, delivered on June 13, 2025, by Justice Hauwa Yilwa, ruled that NYSC’s policy of requiring all female corps members to wear trousers violates their constitutional rights to freedom of religion and human dignity.
The case was filed by two former corps members, Miss Ogunjobi Blessing and Miss Ayuba Vivian, who said wearing trousers went against their Christian faith. They cited Deuteronomy 22:5 from the Bible, which they interpret as forbidding women from dressing like men.
The court agreed with their argument, declaring that the NYSC’s uniform policy was unconstitutional and discriminatory. The judge ruled that the corps members were unfairly harassed and denied their right to complete the national service due to their decision to wear skirts.
Justice Yilwa granted all the reliefs sought by the applicants, including:
– A declaration that NYSC’s refusal to allow skirts violated their rights under Section 38(1) of the Constitution
– A directive to NYSC to permit the use of skirts for female corps members with genuine religious objections
– An order for NYSC to recall the affected former corps members and issue them their service certificates
Although the applicants demanded N10 million each in compensation, the court awarded them N500,000 each.
The judge also ruled that the humiliation and embarrassment the applicants faced from NYSC officials was degrading and a violation of their human dignity.
This ruling is expected to spark wider conversations on dress codes in public institutions and the balance between national policies and religious freedom in Nigeria. NYSC, established in 1973, is a one-year mandatory service for Nigerian graduates under 30, and its strict uniform code has been a source of public debate in recent years.
