Court Orders NYSC to Allow Skirts for Female Corps Members on Religious Grounds
By: Israel Adeleke
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as gathered that the Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) must permit female corps members to wear skirts as part of their official uniform, provided the choice is based on religious convictions.
OTN News further reports as gathered that in a landmark judgement delivered on June 13, 2025, a certified true copy of which emerged on Sunday, Justice Hauwa Yilwa held that the NYSC’s refusal to allow alternative uniforms for religious reasons contravenes the 1999 Constitution's provisions on freedom of religion and human dignity.
OTN News also gathered that the ruling arose from consolidated suits filed by two former corps members, Miss Ogunjobi Blessing and Miss Ayuba Vivian.
Both applicants contended that being forced to wear trousers during their service year violated their Christian beliefs, particularly referencing Deuteronomy 22:5, which they interpret as prohibiting women from wearing male garments.
OTN News observes that the suits, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/989/2020 and FHC/ABJ/CS/988/2020, were originally filed separately but merged by the court due to their identical legal grounds. The National Youth Service Corps and its Director-General were listed as respondents.
The applicants argued that their rights under Section 38 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, had been breached.
They also cited multiple articles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and sought court declarations affirming their right to wear skirts and an order compelling the NYSC to comply.
Among the reliefs sought were declarations that the NYSC’s actions violated their religious rights, a directive for the Corps to permit skirts for female members, and ₦10 million in damages each.
In a sweeping judgment, Justice Yilwa granted all substantive reliefs sought by the applicants, although she awarded ₦500,000 in damages to each, far less than the ₦10 million requested. The court also ordered the NYSC to recall both women and issue them their certificates of national service, which had been withheld over the uniform dispute.
The judgement emphasised that denying the applicants the opportunity to complete their national service due to their attire amounted to religious discrimination.
“The actions of the respondents resulted in the applicants being embarrassed and humiliated.
“This is a blatant infringement of their fundamental rights,” Justice Yilwa stated.
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