Mixed Reactions as Court Allows Female Corps Members to Wear Skirts, "Religion-driven Demand"

• Nigerians have continued to express differing opinions over the court ruling that female corps members can wear skirts
• Stakeholders spoke on why Nigeria, as a secular state, should not let religion influence its decisions on state matters
• Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) lauds the development as it encourages Nigerians to challenge policies contravening religious practices

Nigerians have reacted to the court ruling permitting female National Youth Service Corps members to dress according to the dictates of their religion.

Legit.ng gathered that the verdict was delivered by Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja, after Blessing Ogunjobi and Vivian Ayuba, two former corps members, had taken on the National Youth Service Corps in court, arguing that the NYSC’s uniform policy infringed upon their Christian faith.

The duo of Blessing and Vivian maintained that “according to Deuteronomy 22:5, it prohibits women from donning attire traditionally associated with men.” Consequently, the court granted their request.

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Nigeria’s secular state should be respected

Reacting to the judgment, an analyst, Dr. Temitope Ajayi, noted that as much as everyone is entitled to their religious beliefs, they should not impose them on the state.

Ajayi, who is a lecturer at the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, University of Ibadan, said that subjecting the secularity of the Nigerian state to religious pressure is not healthy for the country.

“While I am not against people being allowed to practice their faith as enshrined in their religious belief systems, I strongly feel that subjecting our secular life as a nation to the pressure of religious demands is not that neat and acceptable.” Ajayi asserted

Dr. Ajayi argued that the religion-driven demand does not necessarily mean spirituality.

“It is difficult for me to think that the demand was morality-driven; I see it as being more religion-driven, given how very religious we could be as a nation, even if we are not ‘God-fearing’ and spiritual,” Ajayi stated.

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MURIC commends the court ruling

In his opinion, the General Secretary of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Mallam Ibrahim Agunbiade, said the concept of a secular state does not remove the freedom of worship from the individual who desires it.

“The meaning of a secular state is that it gives room for freedom of religion and worship. It means we don’t have a religion in our country. So, in that case, anybody can practice what they wish to practice as a religion." Agunbiade clarified

“There is no one stopping anyone from challenging a judgment, especially when it comes to religious matters. Anybody who wants to challenge the court judgment can do so within the permissibility of the law,” he added.

Despite the permission to wear a skirt being taken to court by the Christians, MURIC’s Secretary lauded the efforts to get the matter resolved in court.

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“The reason why we welcome that judgement was because we have challenged this earlier on the issue of hijab, and it worked out, and now that Christians have taken the matter of wearing a skirt to court is a welcome development,” he stated.

Abuja court grants skirts to female corps members

Legit.ng previously reported that a landmark decision on 13 June 2025, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the NYSC violated constitutional rights by prohibiting female corps members from wearing skirts in line with their religious beliefs.

Justice Hauwa Yilwa, in delivering her judgment, declared the NYSC’s enforcement of trousers as the sole acceptable uniform for women unconstitutional.

Source: Legit.ng