After months of delays and uncertainty, members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) may finally receive their long-awaited salary increase, as the Federal Government has assured them that the backlog of the new ₦77,000 monthly allowance will be paid.
The Federal Government had announced an increment in corps members’ allowance from ₦33,000 to ₦77,000 in September 2024. However, despite repeated assurances and mounting public criticism, the implementation of the new allowance had not commenced, leaving many corps members frustrated.
In a positive turn of events, the government has now pledged to backdate the payments, ensuring that both currently serving corps members and those who were in service when the announcement was made in September 2024 receive their full entitlements.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, made this commitment while appearing on Politics Today, a program on Channels Television. Addressing concerns about whether outgoing corps members would also receive the backlog, Olawande reaffirmed that the government had their details on record and would ensure the payments were made.
“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 stated.
He further assured corps members, saying, “The backlog, we will work on it and make sure it is paid. It may not be immediate, but it will happen.”
The increment in NYSC allowance, which was widely celebrated at the time of its announcement, was in line with the provisions of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024. However, six months after the declaration, corps members had yet to see any changes in their stipends, leading to growing concerns about the delay.
Last week, the Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, provided an update, assuring corps members that the implementation of the new allowance would begin in March 2025. Minister Olawande reinforced this statement during his television appearance, further reassuring the public that the long-awaited payments would soon commence.
When asked if corps members could expect to start receiving the new allowance this month, Olawande responded with certainty: “It will happen.”
Explaining the reasons for the prolonged delay, the minister pointed to budgetary constraints as the primary obstacle.
“I’ve explained this several times. Some people say 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,” Olawande stated.
He clarified that when President Bola Tinubu initially announced the salary increment, it was not included in the budget, making it difficult for the government to immediately implement the new pay structure.
“For some agencies and parastatals, you need your salary to be in the budget before it is paid. Before anybody can approve anything, you must have a budgetary allocation for it,” the minister explained.
According to him, the government has now resolved the budgetary issues, and the necessary financial allocations have been approved.
“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,” Olawande concluded.
With this latest assurance, corps members can look forward to finally receiving the long-awaited salary increase, along with backdated payments for the months they were owed.
