After several months of delay, members of the National Youth Service Corps may have a reason to smile as the Federal Government on Monday promised to pay the backlog of the new ₦77,000 monthly allowance.
The Federal Government increased corps members’ allowance from ₦33,000 to ₦77, 000 in September 2024.
Despite repeated promises and backlash since the increment, the new rate is yet to be implemented.
However, serving corps members and those in the scheme when the increment was announced in September 2024 will receive a backdated payment.
The Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande gave this assurance when he was featured on a live television programme on Monday.
“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’,” the minister said.
“The backlog, we will work on it and make sure it is paid. It may not be immediate but it will happen,” Olawande assured.
In September 2024, the Federal Government announced a new allowance for NYSC members better known as corpers much to the excitement of the participants of the youth scheme.
The Federal Government said the increment was in line with the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.
Six months after the announcement, however, the implementation of the new allowance is yet to see the light of day despite repeated assurances from government authorities.
But last week, the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Olakunle Nafiu, asked corps members to expect the implementation of the new allowance in March, a move Olawande corroborated during the show.
“It will happen,” the minister said when asked if the corps members would start getting now-delayed allowance from this month.
According to the minister, the delay in the implementation of the new NYSC members’ allowance is due to budgetary issues.
“I’ve explained this several times. Some people said, I always say ‘It is a process. It is a process.’ But it’s seriously a process. It’s a government line. You cannot do a corner piece to do it. It was not in the budget when the president announced it, and for some agencies and parastatals, you need your salary to be in the budget before it is paid,” the youth development minister said.
“Before anybody can approve anything, you must have a budgetary allocation for it. But 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.”