The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on the Federal Government to probe the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) over its failure to implement the newly approved ₦77,000 monthly allowance for corps members.......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
NANS expressed frustration that despite the Federal Government’s approval of the increment from ₦33,000 to ₦77,000—effective July 2024—the NYSC has yet to commence payments.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed, attributed the delay to the non-release of funds.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NANS National Vice President for Inter-Campus Affairs, Felicia Akinbodunse, emphasized the need for an investigation into the NYSC for not fulfilling its promise to begin payment by the end of February.
She questioned the delay, given that the NYSC DG had publicly announced that corps members would start receiving the ₦77,000 allowance in February 2025.
According to Akinbodunse, findings from her office revealed that corps members only received ₦33,000 as their February allowance last Friday, contrary to the ₦70,000 previously promised by the NYSC DG.
She pointed out that while the Federal Government and several state governments have started implementing the new minimum wage of ₦70,000 for their workers, there was no justification for the NYSC to withhold the approved increase for corps members.
Akinbodunse described the situation as an injustice, stating that corps members should not still be receiving the old allowance months after the Federal Government’s approval and implementation of the new wage structure.
She urged the NYSC to explain the reason behind the delay and insisted that the Federal Government should investigate the matter to determine the cause.
Akinbodunse also warned that failing to pay the new allowance could negatively impact corps members’ morale, especially amid the country’s current economic realities.
However, she assured that: “The leadership of the student body would equally interface with the NYSC to find out why corps members are yet to benefit from the new minimum wage of ₦77,000, even when staff of the NYSC are receiving the increase in pay from the Federal Government.”