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The Senate has rejected a bill seeking to change the prescribed uniforms for female Corps members for the mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme from trousers to skirt.
The Bill sponsored by Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP, Taraba State), also aimed at changing the exercise regimen of corps members, taking into consideration their religious practices/beliefs.
In his lead debate, the PDP senator said its primary intendment was to amend Sections 13 and 16 of the Principal Act of the scheme.
According to him, the bill seeks to cover the physique of female Corps members and ensure that they don’t put on uniforms that are contrary to their religious practices or beliefs.
He said most men get sexually aroused when they see the physique of females on trousers.
His words: “The Bill seeks to abolish the NYSC uniform trousers which exposes the physique of female corps members by proposing use of skirt for female Corps members.
“Female corps members should be allowed the freedom to put on skirt to prevent exposing their attractive body frames.
“Apart from the trousers being offensive to religious tenets of some female corps members, it also promotes immortality as the trousers attracts men notoriously and push them to commit adultery”.
The proposal also seeks to increase the penalty for offences from N2,000 to N100,000 and N4,000 to N200,000 respectively.
However, in their separate contributions, most lawmakers opposed the bill, saying it is not only untimely but unnecessary especially now that the country is faced with serious economic and security challenges.
In his remarks, Suleiman Adokwe (PDP, Nasarawa South) said the power to prescribe uniform is the sole responsibility of NYSC directorate. He argued that if any religious organisation feels oppressed or affected, it should approach the Directorate.
Also, Sam Egwu (PDP, Ebonyi North) stated that the Senate lacks constitutional powers to amend the Act because NYSC is a paramilitary agency.
In his ruling, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu said even if the bill sailed through in the Senate, it shall further be transmitted to the House of Representatives and 36 state assemblies states for concurrence and endorsement respectively in accordance with the 1999 Constitution.
When Ekweremadu put the question to voice vote, the bill could not sail through Second Reading as it was rejected by legislators.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
