National Youth Service Corps members have voiced their displeasure with the Federal Government’s continued inability to pay the N77,000 stipend.
The Federal Government has authorised a rise in the corps members’ monthly payment from N33,000 to N77,000, beginning July 2024.
According to Brig. Gen. Yushau Ahmed, the NYSC’s Director-General, the new allowance was put into effect that year because of the non-release of money.
Later, the DG said that the N77,000 would begin to be paid to corps members in February 2025.
The NYSC has not yet started paying the N77,000, according to THE INTERCEPT’s findings, despite the official declaration.
On Friday, some corps members informed our reporter that they had only been paid N33,000 for their February allowance.
A corps member serving in Abia State accused the Federal Government of insincerity regarding the payment of the N77,000 allowance.
The corps member, who spoke with THE INTERCEPT on the condition of anonymity because corps members are not allowed to talk to the media, lamented that the N33,000 allowance was insufficient.
She said, “The N33,000 is not enough for us. The PPA where we are posted doesn’t provide accommodation; we have to handle that ourselves. The economic situation of the country is not new to anybody. Feeding is another issue in an unfamiliar place. It’s nearly impossible to survive on N33,000 a month. PPAs don’t pay well; some pay as little as N4,000. Imagine surviving on N37,000 a month when you add the N4,000.
“Things are very expensive. I haven’t even included transportation costs. In the fellowship house where I’m staying, we contribute for food, and after that, one is left with a meagre amount. I haven’t even mentioned other bills that have to be paid. The money is very poor, and the Federal Government keeps promising and failing us. This is very bad.”
Another corps member serving in Osun expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Government over the delay in paying the new allowance.
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She said, “The Federal Government should do something; this N33,000 is insufficient. After calculating my expenses, I see that I spend over N70,000 a month. The money I spend on transportation alone is over N12,000 monthly, excluding the days I go for CDS. I had to call my mother to ask for support because this monthly allowance is inadequate. One cannot survive on this unless one is ready to suffer.”
Also, a corps member serving in Lagos expressed her dissatisfaction, saying, “I don’t know how they expect us to survive on N33,000 when there is so much hardship. They keep promising N77,000, yet we have not seen anything.”
The Director of Communication of the NYSC, Carol Embu, neither answered calls nor responded to a text message sent to her when our correspondent reached out for comment on the matter.
However, a senior official of the NYSC, who requested anonymity, confirmed that the scheme had yet to commence the N77,000 payment.
“We are yet to start payment for the new allowance,” he said.
