The Federal Government has announced that the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, traditional khaki uniform will be replaced with Adire fabric as part of ongoing reforms.

Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, announced this on Thursday when he appeared on Channels Television’s ‘The Morning Brief’.

Olawande noted that the decision is part of broader efforts by the government to strengthen local production and ensure public spending directly supports Nigeria’s economy.

According to him, the new uniform would be produced locally, noting that Adire is already widely manufactured in different parts of the country.

“It’s Adire. So, Adire is being produced in Nigeria. We have them in Ogun, we have them in Kwara, we have textile industry. Let’s put our money back into the country,” he said.

The minister added that the move is designed to boost indigenous industries, especially Nigeria’s textile sector, while promoting local craftsmanship through government-backed demand.

Beyond the uniform change, the minister disclosed that the Federal Government is also restructuring the NYSC posting system to ensure corps members are deployed based on their professional backgrounds and areas of study.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s World Cup journey ended in heartbreak, compounded by the shocking news of manager Sebastien Desabre’s personal loss, which was announced during his post-match press conference in Atlanta.

Following a hard-fought 2-1 defeat by England in the round of 32, Desabre was fielding questions from the media when a team official unexpectedly shared the tragic news about his father’s passing.

In a moment that quickly went viral, the DR Congo communications manager concluded the press conference by stating, “Thank you. However, we are informing you that the coach has lost his father; our sincere condolences.”

Desabre, who appeared visibly taken aback, paused before quietly responding, “Merci,” and then left the room at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. It was not immediately clear if he had been previously informed of the news.

Against England, DR Congo took a first-half lead through Brian Cipenga and nearly doubled it when Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa struck the post.

Despite a heroic performance from goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, two goals from Harry Kane ultimately ended their campaign.

Despite the result, Desabre expressed pride in his team’s performance. “We’re disappointed because we believed we could do it,” he said.

“Perhaps we lacked a bit of experience at the end, but that’s football. We learn, we continue to improve, and we move forward calmly.”

“We fought like the Congolese people. We played good football today against one of the best teams in the world. That’s what we’ll remember,” he added.

Burnley defender Axel Tuanzebe echoed the sentiment of a missed opportunity. “Ultimately, we’re kicking ourselves more so because we felt we should’ve definitely held out on the game,” he commented.

“Probably should’ve finished it in the first half as well, but it was unfortunate it was not meant to be for us today. We’ll look at this and think about how we can build for future tournaments.”

A senior consultant physician based in Kano State died after collapsing barely 15 minutes after arriving at a hospital in Kano State to attend to patients who had been waiting several hours for his evening clinic.

The incident occurred last Saturday at Arewa Surgery Hospital, Hotoro, Kano, where the doctor reportedly responded to a request to replace another consultant who was unavailable for scheduled appointments.

The account was made public by Suleiman Harbo, an aide to the Jigawa State Governor, who said he was among the patients’ relatives present when the tragedy unfolded.

Harbo explained that he had taken his elderly mother to the hospital at about 5 p.m. for an appointment with a consultant physician.

On arrival, hospital staff informed them that the doctor originally scheduled to attend to them would not be available and recommended the deceased simply identified as Dr. Ibrahim.

According to him, about six patients, most of them above 80 years old, waited for the physician, prompting him to contact the hospital reception to enquire about the delay.

He said the receptionist reached the doctor by telephone and informed him that elderly patients, including his mother, were waiting.

Dr. Ibrahim reportedly assured them he would come after observing the Maghrib prayer.

Harbo said the consultant arrived shortly afterwards but suddenly became dizzy immediately after stepping out of his vehicle.

He said fellow medical personnel rushed the physician to the hospital’s emergency unit, where doctors battled to revive him.

“Within 15 minutes, he was confirmed dead,” Harbo wrote, describing the incident as shocking and deeply painful.

He added that the development left both patients and medical personnel devastated.

“The painful irony was this: all the patients waiting to see him were above 80 years of age, while about five senior consultant doctors fought to save him, yet all of them broke down in tears,” he said.

Harbo recalled that his mother was initially unaware of the incident and asked whether the doctor had arrived.

Before he could respond, another patient reportedly informed her that the physician they had all been waiting to see had just died.

On hearing the news, Harbo said his mother immediately offered prayers for the deceased.

“‘Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. So that was the doctor they rushed inside? May Allah have mercy on him. Let us just go home. I am already healed,’ she said.”

Harbo said he struggled to contain his emotions as he drove his mother home after the incident.

He also disclosed that those present during the doctor’s final moments said his last audible words were, “La ilaha illallah,” the Islamic declaration of faith.

Describing the loss as one that would remain with him for a long time, Harbo prayed for Allah to forgive the late physician’s shortcomings and grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus.

The cause of Dr. Ibrahim’s sudden collapse was not immediately known.