The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed, has clarified that the recently approved increase in corps members’ monthly allowance has not yet been implemented due to a delay in the release of funds.
Earlier, NewdayReporters reported that the Federal Government had approved a raise in corps members’ monthly stipends from N33,000 to N77,000, with the new amount expected to take effect from July 2024.
This increment was officially announced through a statement by the NYSC on its Facebook page, referencing a letter from the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission. The letter, dated September 25, 2024, was signed by the Commission’s Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta.
However, despite the official announcement, the increased allowance was not reflected in corps members’ September payments, with each member still receiving the previous sum of N33,000 instead of the newly approved N77,000.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, Brigadier General Ahmed explained that while there is a formal approval for the increment, the government has not yet disbursed the necessary funds to the NYSC to facilitate its implementation.
He further revealed that not only are the corps members affected, but NYSC staff members have also been awaiting the implementation of their salary increase, which was approved about four to five months ago. Nevertheless, Ahmed expressed optimism that the new payments will be made once the funds are released.
He added that while the information provided to the NYSC did not specify a date for the payment of the new allowances, there is assurance that the corps members’ monthly allowance has been officially raised, with the increment taking effect from July 29, 2024.
