NYSC Must Allow Skirts for Religious Reasons, Court Rules

[Student Village]

In a landmark judgment that could reshape how institutions handle religion and uniformity, a Federal High Court has ruled that female corps members can no longer be barred from wearing skirts during their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year—if they’re doing so for religious reasons.

The case may not have trended online, but its impact will be felt far beyond the courtroom.

A Quiet Victory, Years in the Making
It didn’t begin with a protest. No picket signs. No hashtags. Just two young women—Blessing Ogunjobi and Vivian Ayuba—standing quietly on a conviction. For them, the NYSC’s rule that all female corps members wear trousers wasn’t just uncomfortable. It violated their Christian faith.

They pointed to Deuteronomy 22:5, took their concerns to NYSC authorities, and were told: rules are rules. So they went to court.

When Skirts Meet the Constitution
On June 13, 2025, Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered her verdict: the NYSC’s ban on skirts is unconstitutional. According to the ruling, forcing women to wear trousers against their religious beliefs violates their right to freedom of religion and human dignity, as protected by Section 38 of the Nigerian Constitution.

The court went further. It ruled that no national policy—not even NYSC’s long-standing uniform code—should override a citizen’s right to practice their faith.

Same Story, Two Different Paths
Blessing and Vivian filed separate lawsuits. Different lawyers. Different dates. But their experiences were hauntingly similar: discrimination in camp, harassment by officials, and accusations of being “uncooperative” for insisting on skirts.

Eventually, their cases were merged—and their message unified. Represented by legal teams who leaned heavily on the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and NYSC’s own Bye-Laws, they argued that this was not a matter of uniform enforcement, but of religious suppression.

The court agreed.

What the Court Ordered
Justice Yilwa’s ruling didn’t just make a statement—it gave clear, binding orders:

NYSC must allow female corps members to wear skirts, if they request it on religious grounds.
Blessing and Vivian must be recalled, properly mobilised, and issued their NYSC certificates.
Each woman was awarded ₦500,000 in damages for the humiliation they endured.
While far less than the ₦10 million they each sought, it wasn’t about the money. It never was.

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