Corps members in Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) are set to receive backdated payments of their increased monthly allowance, following months of delays.
The Federal Government, which had announced an increase from ₦33,000 to ₦77,000 in September 2024, has now pledged to pay the accumulated arrears.
Despite previous assurances, the new allowance rate had not yet been implemented, causing frustration among corps members.
Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande confirmed on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” that both current corps members and those who were serving when the increment was announced will receive the backdated payments.
“You saw the new DG saying that you will get it, and they’re asking him a question ‘What about those that are going out now, are they going to receive it [backlog]?’ He said ‘We have your details’,” the minister said.
“The backlog, we will work on it and make sure it is paid. It may not be immediate but it will happen,” Olawande assured.
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In September 2024, the Nigerian Federal Government generated excitement among National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, or “corpers,” by announcing a significant increase in their monthly allowance.
The government attributed this increase to the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.
However, despite repeated promises from government officials, the new allowance rate has yet to be implemented, six months after the initial announcement.
Recently, NYSC Director General Olakunle Nafiu assured corps members that the new allowance would be implemented in March, a claim that Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande confirmed during a television appearance.
“It will happen,” the minister said when asked if the corps members would start getting now-delayed allowance from this month.
According to the minister, the delay in the implementation of the new NYSC members’ allowance is due to budgetary issues.
“I’ve explained this several times. Some people said, I always say ‘It is a process. It is a process.’ But it’s seriously a process. It’s a government line. You cannot do a corner piece to do it. It was not in the budget when the president announced it, and for some agencies and parastatals, you need your salary to be in the budget before it is paid,” the youth development minister said.
“Before anybody can approve anything, you must have a budgetary allocation for it. But the budgetary allocation has been done now. We are done with the process and it has been approved. It has been signed, and now they can start paying it.”
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