Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have expressed frustration over the Federal Government’s continued delay in implementing the approved N77,000 monthly allowance.
The government had announced an increase from N33,000 to N77,000, effective July 2024, but the NYSC Director-General, Brig. Gen. Yushau Ahmed, later attributed the delay to funding issues.
In a subsequent statement, he assured that corps members would begin receiving the new allowance by February 2025. However, reports reveal that the payment has not commenced, with many corps members confirming they only received N33,000 for February.
This has resulted in several complaints from corp members around the country, raising alarms in regards to the economic hardship of the country and they have to relay on the stipend as most PPAs pay very little or nothing to them.
A corps member in Anambra State, who spoke anonymously, criticized the government for failing to fulfill its promise. “N33,000 is not enough. I have to cover accommodation costs myself, and feeding is expensive. Despite this PPAs pay as little as N4,000, making it difficult to survive,” she lamented.
Another corps member in Osun State voiced similar concerns, stating, “I spend over N70,000 a month, with transportation alone costing more than N12,000. The economy has made the 33,000 useless and most times I have to call my parents for support.
In Lagos, a corps member also expressed disappointment, saying, “They keep promising N77,000, but we haven’t seen anything. How do they expect us to survive on N33,000 with the current hardship?”
NYSC is yet to give any statement on this development.