Six months after the Federal Government announced an increase in the monthly allowance of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members from ₦33,000 to ₦77,000, the new rate is yet to be implemented.
The increment, announced in September 2024 as part of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024, was received with excitement by corps members across the country. However, repeated promises from government officials have not translated into actual disbursements.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, assured corps members that the backlog of unpaid allowances will be settled, including those who were serving during the time of the announcement but have since passed out of the scheme.
“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’,” Olawande said.
“The backlog, we will work on it and make sure it is paid. It may not be immediate but it will happen,” he added.
Last week, the Director General of the NYSC, Olakunle Nafiu, announced that corps members should expect the implementation of the revised allowance starting March 2025. This timeline was reaffirmed by Minister Olawande during his appearance on the programme.
When asked if the payments would begin this month, the minister responded confidently: “It will happen.”
Olawande attributed the delay to bureaucratic and budgetary challenges. He explained that while the presidential announcement was made in September 2024, the increase had not yet been included in the federal budget at the time.
“I’ve explained this several times. Some people say I always say, ‘It is a process.’ But it’s seriously a process,” the minister emphasized. “It was not in the budget when the president announced it. For some agencies and parastatals, you need your salary to be in the budget before it is paid.”
He further confirmed that the relevant budgetary allocations have now been completed, approved, and signed, clearing the path for the disbursement of the new allowance.
“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 said.
Despite the long wait, corps members now look forward to March 2025 for the commencement of the new payment structure and the eventual settlement of arrears.
