The Federal Government has commenced the payment of N77,000 monthly allowance to National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members. This marks the end of a prolonged delay that had sparked widespread frustration among corps members.
Several corps members confirmed receiving credit alerts reflecting the increased stipend on Wednesday afternoon. The development follows an assurance by Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, who stated earlier this week that payments would be made by the end of March.
For months, the government had struggled to implement the approved increase, citing budgetary constraints and bureaucratic processes. The delay had led to mounting pressure from corps members, some of whom had staged protests over the unfulfilled promise.
During a recent interview, Olawande explained that the allowance was not initially captured in the budget when President Bola Tinubu approved the increment. He noted that government agencies and parastatals had to undergo a formal budgetary process before payments could begin.
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“Anybody can approve anything, but you must have a budgetary allocation for it. Now, they are done with the process. It has been approved and signed,” the minister stated, reaffirming that corps members would begin receiving their stipends immediately.
One of the major concerns during the delay was the fate of outgoing corps members—those who had completed their service but were supposed to benefit from the new allowance. Addressing this, Olawande assured that those affected would receive their arrears.
“You saw the new DG when they asked him, what about those who are going out now? Are they going to receive their backlogs? He said, ‘We have your account details; we will put it through,'” Olawande reiterated.
While the payment offers relief, concerns remain about whether the N77,000 allowance is sufficient amid Nigeria’s rising cost of living. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics, shows that as of December 2024, the average cost of a bus trip in Nigerian cities was N923.8. This means a corps member could afford only about 83 trips in a month if their entire stipend was spent on transportation.
Despite these concerns, the commencement of payments marks a significant step in fulfilling the government’s promise, providing corps members with much-needed financial support after months of uncertainty.
Crediblenewsng.com
