The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called for an investigation into the leadership of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) over the non-payment of the approved N77,000 monthly allowance to serving corps members.
NANS expressed dismay that the NYSC has yet to implement the payment of the new allowance, months after it was approved by the federal government. The government had approved an increase in the corps members’ monthly allowance from N33,000 to N77,000, effective July 2024, in line with the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.
The approval was contained in a letter from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, dated September 25, 2024, and signed by its Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta. The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General Yushau Ahmed, had announced on January 30, 2025, that corps members would begin receiving the N77,000 allowance starting February 2025.
However, corps members have expressed disappointment after receiving only N33,000 in February, describing the amount as insufficient to meet their basic needs amid the high cost of living in the country.
In a statement issued on Monday by its National Vice President for Inter-Campus Affairs, Akinbodunse Sileola Felicia, NANS justified the call for a probe into the NYSC’s failure to commence payment of the new allowance as promised.
“Findings by my office revealed that corps members received only N33,000 for their February allowance last Friday, against the N77,000 promised by the NYSC DG. This is even as we note that the federal and many state governments have since begun to pay their workers the new minimum wage of N70,000,” the statement read.
NANS emphasized that the NYSC has no justification for withholding the payment of the approved allowance, describing it as gross injustice to corps members. The student body called on the federal government to investigate the matter and determine the cause of the delay.
“The failure to pay the new allowance to corps members could dampen their morale, especially in the face of the economic situation in the country,” NANS added.
The association also pledged to interface with the NYSC leadership to address the issue and ensure that corps members benefit from the new allowance without further delay.
