The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed, has confirmed that the recently approved increase in corps members’ monthly allowance has not been implemented yet, citing funding difficulties as the cause.
The Nigerian Government had earlier approved an increment in the monthly stipend for corps members, raising it from ₦33,000 to ₦77,000, effective from July 2024.
This change was communicated through a letter from the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission, dated 25th September 2024, and signed by its Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta.
However, despite the approval, corps members only received ₦33,000 as their September allowance, prompting concerns and confusion among the participants in the national service programme.
In a recent interview with the BBC Hausa service, Brigadier General Ahmed explained that while the increase has been approved, the necessary funds have not yet been released by the government to facilitate the new payments.
He reassured the corps members that the NYSC is in constant communication with the relevant authorities to speed up the release of funds and ensure the new allowance is implemented as soon as possible.
“Not only the corps members, even our staff members’ salary has been increased about four to five months ago, but it has not been implemented yet. But we are hopeful that the new pay will be implemented soon, but the funds have not been released to us yet,” Brigadier General Ahmed said.
He added that while the exact date for the implementation of the new allowance remains unclear, the official communication assured that the increase has been in effect since July 29, 2024.