The Federal Government has commenced the payment of the new N77,000 monthly allowance to members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Afrocover has learned.
This follows the assurance given by the NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, that the revised allowance would take effect from March 2025.
In an interview on channels Television on Monday, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, assured that the backlog of the new monthly allowance will also be paid.
Olawande further defended the government’s slow response, stating that while President Bola Tinubu had approved the raise months ago, the required budgetary allocations were not in place at the time.
Read also: FG pledges to pay backlog of ₦77,000 corp members allowance after implementation delay
“It was not in the budget when the President announced it. Some agencies and parastatals need to have their salaries included in the budget before anything can be done or paid out,” he said.
However, Afrocover learnt that several corps members have started receiving alerts of the new implemented allowance on Wednesday.
Oyeniyi Adebanjo, a corp member in Akure, the capital of Ondo state, while expressing gratitude said, the federal government has fulfilled their promise by implementing the newly approved payment for Corpers.
“We are so happy that the Nigerian government fulfilled this promise of 77k because I just received my alert now and I realized that I was credited the new amount the government promised us” he said.
Also, Grace Oladapo, a corps member in Abuja, expressed her surprise and relief upon receiving the increased allowance.
She said “When I received the credit alert, I was shocked! It’s a huge relief because I was struggling with expenses. Now, I can plan better and even send something back home to my parents.”
In September 2024, the Federal Government introduced a new allowance for NYSC members, commonly known as corpers, sparking excitement among participants of the youth scheme.
The government said the increment was in line with the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.
Although the payment was delayed, corps members are excited about the financial relief it brings.
