THE Federal Government has commenced the payment of N77,000 to National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, nearly a year after the approval of the new minimum wage.
However, while some corps members have confirmed receiving the new allowance for the month of March, many said they had yet to get it, hoping they would receive the payment alert before the end of today.
Some of the corps members who spoke with The ICIR, in Abuja, Gombe, Sokoto and Adamawa claimed that they had yet to get their monthly stipend but said some of their colleagues in other states received the new allowance.
Corps members serving in Katsina, Kano, and Cross Rivers confirmed to The ICIR, that they had received the new allowance.
The payment of N77,000 followed earlier reports that the NYSC would begin disbursing the new allowance in March, in line with the Federal Government’s decision to adjust corps members’ stipend to reflect the new minimum wage proposal.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Olakunle Nafiu, a brigadier-general, assured corps members last week that the new monthly allowance of N77,000 would take effect from this month.
Speaking during an interactive session with corps members at the Wuse and Garki NYSC Zonal Offices in Abuja, Nafiu reaffirmed the commitment of the NYSC and the Federal Government to the welfare of corps members.
According to a statement by the NYSC’s Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, the approval of the N77,000 allowance was outlined in a letter from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, dated September 25, 2024.
This development also came in the wake of a controversy involving a corps member, Ushie Rita Uguamaye, who publicly criticised President Bola Tinubu, calling him a “terrible president” due to the worsening economic conditions in the country.
Uguamaye, popularly known as Raye, went viral after expressing her frustrations over the rising cost of living, stating that the previous N33,000 paid corps members was insufficient to meet basic needs.
She had lamented how prices of essential goods skyrocketed, narrating how the cost of a crate of eggs rose from N800 to N6,500. Following her comments, Uguamaye claimed she received threats from NYSC officials instructing her to delete her post.
The ICIR reports that since assuming office in May 2023, President Tinubu has embarked on a series of economic reforms aimed at stabilising the nation’s economy.
These measures, which include the removal of subsidy from petrol, exchange rate unification, and increased reliance on food importation to lower consumer prices, have been highly criticised as inflation, food prices and cost of living remained high.
Despite signing the new minimum wage of N70,000 into law in June 2024, which is expected to reflect in the allowance of serving corps members from the day he signed the new wage, the Tinubu government failed to begin its implementation for the NYSC until today.
Corps members nationwide had continued to survive on the N33,000 monthly allowance from the Federal Government, except for those fortunate enough to receive additional stipends from the states where they serve or their places of primary assignment.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M