A Federal High Court in Abuja has delivered a landmark ruling compelling the National Youth Service Corps to accommodate female participants who cannot wear trousers due to religious convictions.
The judgment follows a legal challenge brought by two former corps members, Miss Ogunjobi John Blessing and Miss Ayuba Vivian, who were denied completion certificates after refusing to wear the standard NYSC trouser uniform on the basis of their Christian faith.
Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa, presiding over the case, determined that the NYSC’s rigid enforcement of a trousers-only policy constituted a violation of fundamental constitutional rights, specifically the freedom of religion and personal dignity guaranteed to all Nigerian citizens.
The court found that both women had been unfairly penalized for adhering to their religious beliefs, which prohibited them from wearing trousers during their mandatory service year. Their refusal to compromise on their faith-based dress requirements resulted in the NYSC withholding their service certificates upon program completion.
In her ruling, Justice Yilwa characterized the NYSC’s actions as discriminatory and ordered the organization to develop policies that recognize and accommodate genuine religious convictions regarding appropriate dress codes for female corps members.
The judgment requires the NYSC to immediately recall both affected women and issue their previously withheld service certificates, acknowledging their successful completion of the national service program despite the uniform dispute.
Beyond the certificate issuance, the court awarded each applicant N500,000 in damages to compensate for the emotional distress and public embarrassment they endured throughout the prolonged dispute. The financial compensation was significantly lower than the N10 million each woman had originally sought, with the judge determining that half a million naira adequately addressed their suffering.
The ruling establishes an important precedent for religious accommodation within Nigeria’s national service program, potentially affecting thousands of future female corps members who hold similar faith-based convictions about modest dress requirements.
The decision reinforces constitutional protections for religious practice, emphasizing that government institutions cannot punish or harass citizens for exercising their fundamental right to worship and live according to their religious beliefs.
This landmark case highlights ongoing tensions between institutional uniformity requirements and individual religious freedoms in Nigeria’s public service programs, with the court firmly supporting constitutional rights over administrative convenience.
The NYSC now faces the challenge of implementing new policies that balance organizational standards with respect for diverse religious convictions among the thousands of graduates who participate in the mandatory service program annually.
