A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) cannot prohibit female corps members from wearing skirts for religious reasons, declaring such a ban unconstitutional and a violation of their fundamental rights to freedom of worship.
Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa, in a judgment delivered on June 13 and 14, 2025, stated that the NYSC’s policy of enforcing trousers as the sole acceptable uniform for female participants infringed upon their constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of religion and human dignity.
The ruling consolidated two separate cases filed by former corps members Miss Ogunjobi John Blessing and Miss Ayuba Vivian.
Both applicants argued that being compelled to wear trousers contradicted their Christian faith, citing Deuteronomy 22:5, which they interpret as forbidding women from wearing male attire.
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The court found that the NYSC’s insistence on trousers not only violated the applicants’ right to manifest their religion under Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution but also subjected them to “undue harassment and degrading treatment.”
Justice Yilwa granted all reliefs sought by the applicants, issuing identical orders in both cases:
- A declaration that the refusal to allow skirts for religious purposes is unconstitutional.
- An order mandating the NYSC to recognize and permit the use of skirts for female corps members with genuine religious objections.
- A directive compelling the NYSC to recall the affected former corps members and issue them their certificates.
- A declaration that the harassment, embarrassment, and humiliation the applicants faced from NYSC agents infringed their fundamental rights to religion and human dignity.
The judge also awarded ₦500,000 in damages to each applicant for the violation of their fundamental rights, deeming it adequate despite the applicants’ claim for ₦10 million each.
The judgment further emphasized that denying the applicants the opportunity to complete their service due to their attire amounted to religious discrimination. Justice Yilwa underscored that “The action of the respondents resulted in the applicants being embarrassed and humiliated. This is an outright infringement of their fundamental rights.”
The fundamental rights enforcement applications were filed against the National Youth Service Corps and its Director General, citing relevant sections of the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
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