The Nigerian government, led by President Bola Tinubu, has surprisingly paid National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members their old monthly allowance of N33,000 for September, despite the recent approval to increase it to N77,000.
This development has left many corps members disappointed, as observed by SaharaReporters through telephone conversations with serving members.
It’s worth noting that the Federal Government had officially approved the increase in the NYSC monthly allowance from N33,000 to N77,000, effective July 2024, in line with the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.
The NYSC Director General, Brigadier General YD Ahmed, had even expressed gratitude to the government for the increased allowance, stating it would bring financial relief and boost morale among corps members.
However, the delay in implementing the new allowance has raised concerns among corps members, who were expecting the increased payment for September.
As of the latest report, not all corps members had received their allowance, but those who did were credited with the old amount of N33,000.
“They have not paid but the people around me who were paid got 33k (N33,000) instead of the N77,000 promised,” one of the corps members said.
The Nigerian government last week approved a substantial increase in the monthly allowance of corps members.
A press statement issued by the agency’s Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, last Wednesday said corps members’ monthly allowance was now pegged at N77,000, up from the previous N33,000.
The statement said the increment would be effective from July 2024, in accordance with Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.
The statement reads: “The Federal Government has approved the increase of Corps Members’ monthly allowance to Seventy-Seven Thousand Naira (N77,000) with effect from July 2024.
“This is in line with the enactment of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.”
Many Nigerians are fuming on social media, especially X, over the government’s failure to implement the approved increment in NYSC allowance.
The recent announcement by President Bola Tinubu approving a new minimum wage of ₦70,000 sparked hopes that NYSC members would receive an increased allowance, potentially up to ₦77,000.
However, the government’s inaction has led to widespread disappointment and outrage among Nigerian netizens.
All efforts to reach the agency’s Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, for comments were not successful.