A Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the ban on the use of skirts by female members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), declaring the policy unconstitutional and discriminatory.
Delivering judgment, Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa held that the NYSC’s insistence on trousers as the only acceptable uniform for female corps members violated their constitutionally protected rights to freedom of religion and human dignity.
The case was brought before the court by two former corps members, Ogunjobi John Blessing and Ayuba Vivian, who were denied their discharge certificates for refusing to wear trousers during their service year. The suits, initially filed separately, were later consolidated by the court.
In her ruling, Justice Yilwa stated, “The refusal of the NYSC to recognize and allow skirt as part of its uniform is a breach of their right as contained in Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as well as Deuteronomy 22 v 5 of the Bible.”
The court awarded N10 million in damages against the NYSC for the violation of the plaintiffs’ rights.
Ayuba, a graduate of Microbiology from Kaduna State University in 2018, had been posted to Zamfara State for her mandatory service. She rejected the pair of trousers issued to her, citing religious convictions.
In its defense, the NYSC argued that corps members sign an undertaking to comply with the programme’s rules and regulations, which include wearing a standardized uniform to ensure discipline and uniformity.
The court, however, ruled that the enforcement of trousers-only policy for female corps members contravenes fundamental human rights and cannot override constitutionally guaranteed religious freedoms.
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