In a groundbreaking ruling, a Federal High Court in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, declared it a violation of human rights for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to enforce trousers as the compulsory uniform for female corps members.
Justice H.A. Nganjiwa delivered the judgment in Suit No: FHC/AI/CS/12/2023, wherein Miss Ufumaka Glory Ukpanken, a corps member, sued the NYSC authorities for harassment and sanctions for wearing a skirt against the prescribed trousers.
Miss Ukpanken, represented by her lawyer, I. Ο. Okhidievbie, Esq., sought to uphold her fundamental rights, arguing that the imposition of trousers contradicted her religious beliefs and infringed on her constitutional rights.
In the verdict delivered on January 31, 2024, Justice Nganjiwa awarded N5 million to Miss Ukpanken as general and exemplary damages for the infringement of her rights.
The judgment mandates the NYSC to permit female corps members to wear skirts as part of their official attire, unless they choose otherwise.
It also ordered the NYSC to cease further harassment and disciplinary actions against female members for opting to wear skirts.
MUK TV recalls that Miss Ukpanken, a serving corps member in Ebonyi state, was humiliated and dekitted for wearing skirts ‘khaki’ at the state’s NYSC Orientation Camp in Afikpo last year.
Similarly, in 2022, another female corps member was reportedly decamped from the Orientation Camp in Gombe for the same offense.
SaharaReporters noted that the rejection of a bill by the Senate in March 2018, aimed at amending the NYSC uniform policy to include skirts, underscored the controversy surrounding the issue.
The bill sought to grant corps members the freedom to deviate from the rigid uniform specifications, acknowledging concerns over religious beliefs and individual rights.
