The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged the Federal Government to investigate the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) over its failure to implement the newly approved N77,000 monthly allowance for corps members.
The Federal Government had announced the increase from N33,000 to N77,000 in July 2024, with payments expected to begin in February 2025. However, reports indicate that corps members were still paid the old allowance of N33,000 last month, raising concerns about the delay.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed, previously stated that the new payment had not been implemented due to the non-release of funds. However, NANS believes the issue requires a thorough investigation to determine why the approved funds have not been disbursed.
In a statement released on Sunday, NANS National Vice President for Inter-Campus Affairs, Felicia Akinbodunse, questioned the delay, noting that corps members were expecting the full payment as promised. She pointed out that her findings revealed that instead of receiving the new N77,000 allowance in February, corps members were still given only N33,000.
Akinbodunse further noted that both the Federal Government and several state governments have already implemented the new minimum wage of N70,000 for civil servants. Given this, she argued that the NYSC has no valid reason for withholding the increased allowance from corps members.
She stressed that it is unfair for corps members to continue receiving the old allowance months after the government approved the increase. According to her, the situation could discourage corps members, especially amid the rising cost of living in the country.
While demanding answers from the NYSC on why the new allowance has not been paid, she insisted that the Federal Government must step in to investigate and resolve the issue.
Akinbodunse also stated that NANS would engage directly with the NYSC leadership to seek clarification on the matter. “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 N77,000, even when staff of the NYSC are receiving the increase in pay from the Federal Government,” she said.
