By Ayomide Otitoju
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) violated the constitutional rights of two former female corps members by refusing to allow them to wear skirts in line with their Christian religious beliefs.
Justice Hauwa Yilwa, in a judgment delivered on June 13 and obtained on Sunday, declared that the NYSC’s insistence on trousers as the only acceptable uniform for female participants contravenes Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guarantees the right to freedom of religion.
The consolidated suits, filed separately by Miss Ogunjobi Blessing and Miss Ayuba Vivian and later merged due to their legal similarities, challenged the NYSC’s uniform policy. The applicants argued that wearing trousers conflicted with their Christian convictions, referencing Deuteronomy 22:5, which they interpret as prohibiting women from dressing in men’s clothing.
The suits, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/989/2020 and FHC/ABJ/CS/988/2020, sought a judicial declaration that the NYSC’s refusal to allow the use of skirts amounted to a violation of their rights to religious freedom and human dignity. The NYSC and its Director-General were listed as respondents.
In her ruling, Justice Yilwa agreed with the applicants’ claims, holding that the NYSC’s policy amounted to religious discrimination, harassment, and degrading treatment. The court granted all the reliefs sought, including a directive for the NYSC to recognise and permit the use of skirts for female corps members with genuine religious objections.
The judge also ordered the NYSC to recall the affected former corps members and issue them their certificates of national service. Additionally, the court awarded ₦500,000 in damages to each applicant for the violation of their rights—down from the ₦10 million initially sought.
“This is a blatant infringement of their fundamental rights,” Justice Yilwa stated, condemning the humiliation and embarrassment suffered by the applicants due to the enforcement of the dress code.
