Protest rocks Abuja as female Corpers seeks Skirt approval.
Some female corps members on the platform of ‘Serve With Skirts Movement’ have threatened to sue the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) over its compulsory use of trousers during the one-year mandatory service.
At a protest in Abuja on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, the group alleged that the use of trousers by female corps members “evoke immorality”.
The protesting corps members were seen carrying placards with various inscriptions like: “There is a difference between the world and the daughters of God”, “Our sisters cannot dress like men, they should be decently covered” and “We are not worldly we are true children of God” among others.
Addressing journalists, one of the leaders of the group, Barrister Udochi Emmanuel Baba, lamented the harsh treatment meted out to female corps members who refused to wear trousers during their service year.
She noted that the law establishing the NYSC does not clearly stated what the uniform should be.
She maintained that they would rather go back to the 70s ” when female corps members were allowed to wear skirts” during their service year.
“The reason why we are here today is because year after year our female corps members posted to various states are being embarrassed, they are decamped, de-kitted and sent out of the camp on the grounds that they are putting on trousers and we know that it is a breach of their fundamental human rights as provided for in section 38 (1) of the constitution of our country,” the young lawyer began.
“These trousers are evoking immorality in the camps and we cannot take it anymore. This was not so in the beginning. Way back in the 1970s and 1980s we had our mothers wearing skirts and we want to go back to that.
“We have asked for exemption severally. NYSC has not given that as an option, they have made it a compulsory one-year service for everyone below the year of 30 and they are mandated to wear those clothes,” she added.
Asked the next line of action if their requests are not met, the lawyer said: “We may ask need to ask for redress in the court.”
Narrating her experience, a female corps member, Patience Noble, said she has not graduated from the scheme since 2016 when she was deployed to serve in Ebonyi.
“I was posted to Ebonyi state for my NYSC. When I got there, I told them that I will want to wear my skirts and serve the nation. As a citizen of my country, I have the right to serve the nation just like every other graduate has,” she said.
“They insisted that I wear this trouser or leave the camp. During the camp there were lots of insults and humiliation – one of military tore the skirts I was wearing on my body,” she alleged.
The corps member said she was told that she would not be given a certificate until she wears a pair of trousers.
Nonsense. Instead of fighting for minimum wage…and payment of arrears…you are here disturbing what has been and will always be.
NYSC should not be subjected to religious issues for what matters is our faith in the religion we practice, how can one put on skirt to participate in all the training activities in the camp. Especially the Man ‘O’ War drills. It easy to expose the body wearing skirt than trousers, some corp members will go and reshape the kaki which will bring out their shape or whatever it is called that also needs to be address and handle sincerely.
Nysc training is like para- military and if female are to put on skirt, they can’t practise those training appropriately. Also wearing of trousers make the nysc outfits uniform when we are not all in a religious gathering. I think the trouser is still better